ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Access Management Grant Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to provide funding for the Access Management Grant Scheme in the next two financial years.

Barry Gardiner: Natural England's core funding level for the next financial year (2007-08) has been set at £169.53 million, an increase of £6.4 million (4 per cent.) on the equivalent core funding level in the current year. This increase will enable Natural England to strengthen the delivery of its strategic direction and reflects the importance which the Government attach to this area. Natural England also receives further Government funding in addition to this core funding amount.
	However, it must be for Natural England to consider any extension to the Access Management Grant Scheme, and the priority that should be allocated to this work as part of its overall corporate planning process.

Correspondence

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many letters his Department received from hon. Members in each week of the last 12 months; and what the target time for written response is.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA received an average of 265 letters from hon. Members and noble Lords in each week of the last 12 months. The target time for responding is 15 working days.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much programme expenditure sponsored by his Department was spent via each of the Government offices for the regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: 2004-05 is the latest year for which an analysis of expenditure outturn by region has been published by the Treasury. Total programme expenditure for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is listed in the following table:
	
		
			  Programme expenditure for DEFRA managed by government offices for 2004-05 
			  Government office  Programme  Total (£) 
			 East Sustainable Development Publicity 40,000 
			  Waste Regional Support Fund 50,000 
			
			 East Midlands Sustainable Food and Farming 40,000 
			  Waste Implementation Programme 11,750 
			  Leader + 325,353 
			
			 North East Leader + 179,914 
			
			 North West Leader + 1,203,880 
			  Sustainable Development Publicity 40,003 
			  Sustainable Food and Farming 15,000 
			  Waste Regional Support Fund 112,567 
			
			 South East Leader + 4,594,420 
			  Sustainable Development Publicity 61,614 
			
			 South West Leader + 2,008,719 
			  Sustainable Development Publicity 39,934 
			
			 West Midlands Leader + 701,816 
			  Sustainable Food and Farming 20,000 
			  Waste Regional Support Fund 30,000 
			
			 Yorkshire and Humber Leader + 1,200,000 
			  Sustainable Food and Farming 35,000 
			  Sustainable Development Fund 57,000 
			  Waste Regional Support Fund 60,000 
			
			 London Sustainable Development Publicity Budget 54,800 
			  Sustainable Food and Farming 10,000 
			  Waste Regional Support Fund 56,700

Departmental Fixed Assets

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which fixed assets his Department sold for more than £10,000 in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and what the (i) sale value, (ii) purchaser and (iii) date of sale was of each asset.

Barry Gardiner: The fixed assets sold by the core-Department and its agencies in 2004-05 and 2005-06 for more than £10,000 including dates of sale and sale values are listed in the following table. Information about the purchaser of each asset is not held centrally and obtaining this information would incur disproportionate costs for the Department.
	
		
			  Date of sale  Organisation  Type of asset  Description  Sale value (£000) 
			 1 April 2004 Core Defra Property Rocks Farm, Kent 150 
			 24 July 2004 Core Defra Property Tattenhall Buffer Depot, Cheshire 361 
			 24 January 2005 Core Defra Property 4a Efford, Lymington, Hampshire 43 
			 4 March 2005 Core Defra Property 196 Willington Road Kirton, Lincolnshire 69 
			 4 March 2005 Core Defra Property 8 Farm Close Boxworth, Cambridgeshire 161 
			 31 March 2005 Core Defra Property Boxworth Land Cambridgeshire 20 
			 18 July 2005 Core Defra Property Efford Lots 1 and 1a, Lymington, Hampshire 1,403 
			 2 September 2005 Core Defra Property Efford Lot 4, Lymington, Hampshire 151 
			 23 September 2005 Core Defra Property Harpenden Lab, Hertfordshire 4,119 
			 30 September 2005 Core Defra Property No 4 Lower House Farm Barns, Throckmorton , Worcestershire 245 
			 7 November 2005 Core Defra Property Efford Lot 5, Lymington, Hampshire 65 
			 11 November 2005 Core Defra Property Boxworth Woodside, Cambridgeshire 400 
			 25 November 2005 Core Defra Property 2 Newbridge Drive Cottages, Efford, Lymington, Hampshire 152 
			 31 January 2006 Core Defra Property Efford Main site Lot 2, Lymington, Hampshire 296 
			 31 January 2006 Core Defra Property Efford Main site Lot 3, Lymington, Hampshire 198 
			 31 January 2006 Core Defra Property 1 Newbridge Drive Cottages, Efford, Lymington, Hampshire 152 
			 5 April 2005 Core Defra Vehicle Volkswagen Golf 10 
			 1 October 2004 Core Defra (1) IT Equipment in block 17,982 
			 31 January 2006 CEFAS Research Vessel Marine Vessel Corystes 969 
			 28 June 2004 RPA Land and Buildings Grain Store Lochabriggs 1,431 
			 28 June 2004 RPA Plant and Machinery Cold Store (part of the above Grain Store) 25 
			 30 June 2004 RPA Plant and Machinery VOLVO (part of the above Grain Store) 11 
			 23 August 2004 RPA Plant and Machinery VOLVO (part of the above Grain Store ) 11 
			 17 June 2005 RPA Land and Buildings Grain Stores—Hemswell 661 
			 17 June 2005 RPA Plant and Machinery Cold Store (part of the above Grain Store) 1,526 
			 31 October 2005 RPA Plant and Machinery VOLVO (part of the above Grain Store) 22 
			 31 October 2005 RPA Plant and Machinery Grain Elevator 12 
			 23 December 2005 RPA Land and Buildings Grain Stores—19683-Clifton 5,475 
			 31 December 2005 RPA Plant and Machinery Loading Shovel 10 
			 31 December 2005 RPA Plant and Machinery Loading Shovel 10 
			 31 December 2005 RPA Plant and Machinery Grain Elevator 18 
			  Note: This reflects the transfer of the ownership of IT equipment in block to IBM as part of core Defra's IT outsourcing contract with IBM.

Entry-Level Stewardship Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review the effectiveness of the entry-level stewardship scheme, with particular reference to progress towards the target to reverse the decline in farmland bird numbers by 2020.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 2 February 2007
	Entry-level stewardship (ELS) is one of a number of measures aimed at helping to meet our target of reversing the decline in farmland birds by 2020. ELS agreements are intended to run for five years, and the first agreements only began in August 2005. We are planning to look at progress in the course of this year. Work has already been commissioned on evaluating evidence to date and a report is due this spring. Plans for taking the review forward are still under consideration and will need to take account of this.

Executive Agencies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by each of his Department's executive agencies in each Government office region in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: A breakdown of expenditure by Government office regions for each of the Department's executive agencies is not available.

Flowers: Imports

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total  (a) volume and  (b) value of flowers imported into the UK was in each year since 1997, broken down by country of origin.

Barry Gardiner: The following tables show the volume and value of flowers imported into the UK each year since 1997 broken down by country of origin as recorded in the Official Trade Statistics. Data for 2006 are included up to November.
	The Netherlands has consistently been the largest supplier of flowers imported into the UK over this period of time.
	
		
			  PQ 1320: UK imports of cut flowers( 1)  for 1997 to November 2006—Volume 
			  Tonnes 
			  Country  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  Jan-Nov 2006 
			 Netherlands 52,669 69,630 69,706 73,991 75,790 155,018 176,699 155,585 114,056 94,066 
			 Kenya 5,223 4,871 6,735 8,129 10,183 11,221 11,792 16,989 18,650 16,509 
			 Colombia 9,614 9,110 8,525 9,192 8,017 7,667 10,271 9,212 9,037 9,453 
			 Spain 6,947 8,422 11,769 9,589 11,341 10,813 9,333 9,416 6,289 5,264 
			 Turkey 3,542 3,899 3,899 2,772 3,146 3,145 3,097 3,430 2,441 2,081 
			 USA 956 1,058 1,180 893 704 1,103 783 597 875 237 
			 Israel 1,620 1,100 1,280 963 537 464 576 372 605 577 
			 Belgium — — 1,767 643 1,289 876 814 1,043 701 278 
			 Italy 1,541 1,313 794 724 638 568 478 479 417 251 
			 Morocco 1,025 713 788 835 840 664 524 494 374 380 
			 South Africa 159 103 113 85 145 138 201 805 1,318 508 
			 Ecuador 60 83 170 280 222 271 434 500 528 449 
			 Germany 292 242 162 86 242 427 307 542 247 244 
			 France 1,209 553 518 22 39 42 40 38 36 85 
			 Denmark 208 57 51 58 316 462 539 578 136 57 
			 Belgium- Luxembourg 717 1,499 — — — — — — — — 
			 Zimbabwe 456 208 209 176 216 274 280 179 24 — 
			 Costa Rica 20 34 57 122 218 187 248 171 258 401 
			 Austria 136 — — 2 — — 6 233 636 680 
			 Irish Republic 112 140 37 11 18 432 347 217 334 29 
			 India 232 106 57 70 77 111 209 147 255 207 
			 Thailand 191 151 121 101 101 99 100 88 126 110 
			 Zambia 39' 108 39 31 1 — 94 206 102 83 
			 Uganda 8 24 21 13 101 71 112 142 134 27 
			 China 4 8 14 39 31 69 61 126 149 28 
			 Poland 74 60 25 72 18 — 41 16 16 1 
			 Ethiopia 13 11 — 2 — — 1 17 49 130 
			 Philippines — 8 14 11 2 — 27 4 105 34 
			 Taiwan — 0 — 1 — 0 0 2 6 113 
			 Sri Lanka — 0 — 3 4 8 7 32 39 23 
			 Peru 1 1 4 3 6 1 3 17 21 25 
			 Brazil — 7 — 4 16 5 9 22 14 4 
			 All other countries 199 95 111 100 104 105 162 58 76 62 
			 (1)Cut flowers and flower buds of a kind suitable for bouquets or for ornamental purposes, fresh, dried, dyed, bleached, impregnated or otherwise prepared. 
		
	
	
		
			  PQ 1320: UK imports of cut flowers( 1)  for 1997 to November 2006—Value 
			  £000 
			  Country  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  Jan-Nov 2006 
			 Netherlands 191,930 225,936 239,762 263,408 306,544 433,622 437,683 408,719 402,759 381,944 
			 Kenya 13,825 14,069 19,773 22,889 31,859 35,171 35,078 46,112 51,842 49,038 
			 Colombia 31,597 31,332 28,645 29,898 27,719 25,298 28,716 23,349 27,272 31,236 
			 Spain 20,614 21,006 17,833 17,125 23,565 26,998 25,019 22,658 13,038 16,714 
			 Turkey 6,595 6,761 6,019 3,376 3,797 4,374 4,121 5,076 4,180 3,775 
			 Israel 7,240 3,991 3,913 3,713 2,180 1,885 2,309 1,465 2,571 2,519 
			 Italy 7,289 4,357 2,714 2,606 2,591 2,692 2,327 2,377 2,111 1,642 
			 Belgium — — 2,376 3,774 5,487 4,744 3,889 4,651 3,299 1,359 
			 USA 3,614 3,938 4,165 3,206 2,965 3,870 2,644 1,762 2,640 687 
			 Morocco 1,755 1,298 1,395 1,460 1,284 688 598 832 742 775 
			 Ecuador 197 212 321 754 705 866 1,278 1,411 1,504 1,459 
			 Denmark 99 75 202 180 115 3,139 2,145 1,841 520 259 
			 South Africa 434 255 203 188 303 287 507 1,991 2,899 1,353 
			 Germany 456 696 519 200 916 1,306 1,126 1,463 862 704 
			 Belgium- Luxembourg 3,088 4,493 — — — — — — — — 
			 Zimbabwe 1,755 866 936 710 846 952 357 301 47 — 
			 Thailand 2,584 825 470 431 435 393 389 290 422 410 
			 Irish Republic 408 355 159 65 132 900 1,193 845 1,283 96 
			 Costa Rica 34 64 111 307 597 467 507 298 510 861 
			 India 563 259 114 113 131 239 508 344 617 541 
			 France 739 1,004 123 94 132 240 259 239 162 134 
			 Austria 363 — — 7 — — 26 166 805 656 
			 Uganda 45 94 61 53 333 241 365 367 374 78 
			 Zambia 150 406 129 63 4 — 255 553 232 212 
			 China 14 25 41 119 184 96 134 447 389 108 
			 Taiwan — 2 — 7 — 1 8 13 38 383 
			 Ethiopia 20 15 — 4 — — 6 82 187 444 
			 Philippines — 43 31 28 5 — 48 10 260 103 
			 Poland 128 36 24 76 27 — 152 34 13 2 
			 Sri Lanka — 2 — 15 16 26 30 131 164 84 
			 Brazil — 57 — 13 23 44 65 97 31 11 
			 Peru 2 5 20 16 27 3 9 55 71 86 
			 All other countries 519 289 334 313 374 341 433 213 278 258 
			 © Crown Copyright (1)Cut flowers and flower buds of a kind suitable for bouquets or for ornamental purposes, fresh, dried, dyed, bleached, impregnated or otherwise prepared.  Note: 2006 data are subject to amendments.  Source: H M Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade Statistics, Agricultural Statistics and Analysis Division, DEFRA.

Government Auctions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where his Department publishes information about Government auctions which it arranges or to which it contributes in  (a) Blackpool,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the North West; and when the next such auction will take place in each area.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. From information held centrally, the Department has not held any such auctions and is, currently, unaware of any plans to do so.
	The policy of the Department is to use the Disposal Services Agency (DSA) to facilitate the sale and/or auctioning of any surplus equipment. Details of DSA's activities can be found on its website www.edisposals.com or at the OGC buying solutions website at www.ogcbuyingsolutions.co.uk

Hedgehogs

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for recent trends in the hedgehog population.

Barry Gardiner: The hedgehog is currently under no conservation threat. In 1999, English Nature (now Natural England) stated that the UK's total pre-breeding hedgehog population stood at about 1,555,000: 1,100,000 in England, 310,000 in Scotland and 145,000 in Wales.
	There is little historical knowledge about changes in numbers, though numbers on the mainland are thought to have declined substantially since the early 20(th) century. By contrast, introduced populations on islands have increased.
	Some data are available from a number of surveys, such as the National Game Census, the Breeding Bird Survey, the Wetland Breeding Birds Survey and the Mammals on Roads Survey. However, none of these has yet been running long enough to give a clear picture of changes in hedgehog numbers.

Inland Waterways: Repairs and Maintenance

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what planned winter maintenance work and repairs British Waterways has  (a) cancelled and  (b) postponed in the winter of 2007 as a result of reductions to its grant in aid; and what the locations and value of these works were.

Barry Gardiner: British Waterways has made savings in the order of £5.6 million in its capital projects as a result of the reduction in its grant in aid. Details of these savings are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Project  Saving details (£) 
			 Rowington Embankment, Grand Union Canal 250,000 reduced investment: Reduced investment into refurbishment—there will still be a winter stoppage 
			 Shenton Embankment, Ashby Canal 540,000 deferred: Piling works to embankment deferred 
			 Long Horse Bridge, River Trent 544,000 deferred: Construction of a new pedestrian bridge deferred to 2007-08 
			 Ribble Link 464,000 reduced investment: Temporary stability works to bywash—there will still be a winter stoppage 
			 Trub Farm, Rochdale Canal 586,000 reduced investment: Installation of a bridge and associated approach road—will go ahead, however it will be funded with alternative money—there is a winter stoppage currently in place 
			 Cloughside Farm, Peak Forest Canal 75,000 reduced investment: Rebuilding of a section of towpath wall—there will still be a winter stoppage 
			 Coates Lane Retaining Wall, Leeds and Liverpool Canal 208,000 deferred: Rebuilding a collapsed section of wall deferred to 2007-08 with a revised, cheaper solution 
			 Roddlesworth Embankment, Leeds and Liverpool Canal 300,000 deferred: Stemming of leakage through embankment and raising the height of the wash wall both deferred 
			 Bridge 177a, Grand Union Canal 174,000 deferred: Refurbishment of a footbridge deferred to 2007-08 
			 Stop gates, in the London area 278,000 deferred: Projects deferred and requirements being reviewed 
			 Denham Culvert, Grand Union Canal 174,000 deferred: In-depth investigation into the integrity of the structure deferred 
			 Milton Keynes Culvert, Grand Union Canal 176,000 deferred: Repairs to two culverts deferred 
			 River Severn Dredging 150,000 deferred: Dredging the Upper Partings to Haw Bridge deferred 
			 Burghfield Lock Refurbishment, Kennet and Avon Canal 158,000 reduced investment: Refurbishment of lock - reduced scope of works—there will still be a winter stoppage 
			 Aston Locks 9 and 11, Birmingham and Fazeley Canal 252,000 deferred: Refurbishment deferred 
			 Tividale Aqueduct, Old Main Line 133,000 deferred: Aqueduct repairs deferred 
			 Vale Royal Lock, Weaver Navigation 592,000 deferred: Refurbishment deferred 
			 Calverley Wood Embankment, Leeds and Liverpool Canal 485,000 deferred: Embankment refurbishment deferred—reduced scheme planned for 2007-08

Inland Waterways: Repairs and Maintenance

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to British Waterways of repairing the breach on the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal that occurred on 17 January.

Barry Gardiner: British Waterways' engineers have confirmed that the failure of a culvert brought about the breach in this canal. Estimates for the repair costs are in the order of £500,000 and British Waterways aims to complete the work before Easter.

Inland Waterways: Repairs and Maintenance

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the likely cost to British Waterways is of repairing damage to its waterways caused by the January 2007 storms; and what additional financial assistance is planned to be provided by the Government to enable this work to be carried out.

Barry Gardiner: British Waterways has assessed the cost to be over £100,000 and makes provision for these types of events within its budget. The Government provide grant in aid which reflects a range of eventualities and look to British Waterways to manage its priorities within its overall budget.

Mental Illness: Employment

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures he is taking actively to promote the employment within  (a) his Department and  (b) public sector bodies for whom he has responsibility of people with mental illnesses in line with the advice and codes of practice produced by the Disability Rights Commission.

Barry Gardiner: Under the disability equality duty introduced by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, my Department and the public sector bodies for which I am responsible are required to publish and implement disability equality schemes. These are plans setting out how we will carry out the disability equality duty, monitor, and report on progress. In particular this includes our arrangements for gathering information on the effect of our policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of our disabled employees, including those with mental health conditions, and making use of that information.
	DEFRA is committed to providing equal opportunities for all candidates during the selection process, to enable us to select staff from a diverse pool of talent. Part of that commitment is that we guarantee an interview to any candidate who has declared a disability, as defined by the Act, provided they meet the minimum (essential eligibility) criteria for the post in question, as set out in the job advertisement. This is referred to as the two ticks scheme. There are also duties under the employment provisions in Part 2 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 not to discriminate against, and to make reasonable adjustments for, disabled job applicants and employees. Online guidance is provided to managers and disabled employees on how these requirements are to be met.
	The public sector bodies sponsored by my Department that are subject to these requirements are responsible for publishing and implementing their own disability equality schemes.

Parliamentary Scrutiny Override Mechanism

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times his Department has used the parliamentary scrutiny override mechanism in each year since 2001; for what reasons it was used in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: Since 2003, the Government have submitted a report to Parliament every six months on parliamentary scrutiny overrides, following the recommendation contained in the report from the House of Lords European Committee (1(st) report, 2002-03), with which the Government agreed. These reports identify those occasions in each six-month period when the Government were unable to comply fully with the terms of the Scrutiny Reserve Resolutions in one or both Houses and record correspondence that Ministers have had with the Scrutiny Committees. The parliamentary scrutiny override mechanism is only used as a last resort and in each case, Ministers must give the Scrutiny Committees a proper account of the circumstances of the override.
	In 2003, DEFRA Ministers used the parliamentary scrutiny override mechanism in the House of Commons 11 times; in 2004 it was used nine times; in 2005 it was used 16 times; and in 2006 it was used seven times.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Constituencies

Oliver Heald: To ask the Leader of the House if he will ensure that the debates on the draft order implementing the Boundary Commission's recommendations on new parliamentary boundaries take place in April 2007.

Jack Straw: Subject to the progress of business, I hope the debate will take place before the end of April.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he will reply to the letter from the hon. member for West Worcestershire of 19 December 2006, on indoor air pollution in the developing world.

Hilary Benn: There is no record in DFID of having previously received the letter of 19 December from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, on indoor air pollution in the developing world; however, having now received a copy, I will reply as soon as possible.

Developing Countries

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has any role in animal  (a) health and  (b) welfare in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: In recent years DFID has supported a range of livestock initiatives, recognising that disease and poor animal welfare threaten the potentially important role that productive use of livestock can play in poverty reduction. Guided by our 2005 agriculture policy paper "Growth and poverty reduction: the role of agriculture", DFID's efforts include improving veterinary service delivery, developing vaccines, and ensuring that international livestock trading standards—including for health and welfare—are fair. DFID provides annual funding to support the work of others, including the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. DFID, working with other international agencies and affected developing countries, also provided £30 million over the past two years specifically to support global efforts to control avian influenza.

Public Relations

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which public affairs firms have been given contracts by  (a) his Department and  (b) public bodies sponsored by his Department in the last five years; and what the purpose was of each contract.

Gareth Thomas: DFID uses consultants to provide a range of activities. However, in the past five years the only public affairs firm that we have used was Corporate Communications whose role was to provide DFID with a corporate communications strategy that would help to achieve DFID's organisational objectives.
	DFID is responsible for financial sponsorship of the CDC. Contracts have been issued to the following to help to promote their mission and objectives: LM, Financial Dynamics, Cubitt Consulting, Bell Pottinger, Merlin.

TRANSPORT

A303: Stonehenge

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether the A344 between Airmans Corner and Stonehenge Bottom is planned to be closed whether or not the proposed A303(T) bored tunnel is constructed;
	(2)  what work his Department has commissioned on the options for upgrading the A303(T) near Stonehenge in the event of a decision not to proceed with a bored road tunnel;
	(3)  what work  (a) his Department and  (b) English Heritage has commissioned on the future of the Stonehenge Visitors Centre project in the event of a decision by the Secretary of State for Transport not to proceed with the proposed A303(T) bored tunnel and associated roadworks near Stonehenge; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering the inter-departmental review group's report on the proposed improvements to the A303 running past Stonehenge and will be making an announcement in due course. The issues raised by the hon. Member will be addressed as part of that announcement.

Bus Services

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of section 10 of the Transport Act 2000 on the co-operation of bus operators on fare-setting and timetabling.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 5 February 2007
	The competition test in schedule 10 to the Transport Act 2000 currently applies to the exercise of functions by local authorities in relation to quality partnership schemes and ticketing schemes made under that Act, and inviting and accepting tenders for bus services under the Transport Act 1985. This test is the yardstick for judging whether those functions are carried out with due regard to competition. It recognises that a balance may need to be struck between competition and other socially desirable objectives. The schedule 10 test does not currently apply to voluntary agreements and does not directly impact on the co-operation of bus operators with local authorities or with each other.
	Bus operators are, like businesses generally, prohibited by chapter 1 of part 1 of the Competition Act 1998 from entering into mutual agreements which prevent, restrict or distort competition. There are various exceptions: in particular a block exemption Order permits the marketing of various types of multi-operator ticket at a mutually agreed price.
	The policy document "Putting Passengers First" proposes a new legal test to facilitate voluntary arrangements between local authorities and more than one bus operator, based on the competition criteria in schedule 10. Detailed proposals are currently under discussion with the Office of Fair Trading.

Driving: Licensing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department enforces the rules covering drivers from non-EC/EEA on the 12 months validity of their driving licence in the United Kingdom.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	This is an operational matter for the police.

Finsbury Park Station: Repairs and Maintenance

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Network Rail on the refurbishment of the interior of Finsbury Park station; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The overground part of Finsbury Park station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Capital Connect. Any matters relating to interior refurbishment will be agreed between these two parties and Transport for London.

Freight: Transport

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many  (a) airports,  (b) airfields,  (c) ports,  (d) harbours and  (e) landing points on tidal rivers the unloading of goods was possible in each region and country of the UK in 2006.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 5 February 2007
	The terms used in the question do not reflect classifications used in legislation. The following table shows the nearest available equivalents.
	
		
			  Aerodromes and ports by Government Office region 
			   Licensed aerodromes (airports, airfields and heliports)  Airports reporting 'freight set-down' to CAA in 2005  Ports listed in Focus on Ports 2006  Commercially active ports supplying traffic returns to DFT in 2005 
			  Government Office Region 
			 North East 2 2 20 6 
			 North West 8 2 28 10 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 8 2 23 20 
			 East Midlands 10 1 4 2 
			 West Midlands 7 2 0 0 
			 East of England 22 5 26 13 
			 London 4 2 8 1 
			 South East 20 3 42 14 
			 South West 20 7 77 23 
			 England 101 26 228 89 
			 Wales 8 1 45 15 
			 Scotland 29 14 108 29 
			 Northern Ireland 4 2 37 8 
			 UK 142 43 418 141 
			  Notes: 1. Focus on Ports 2006 (DFT, 2006) stated that there were more than 650 harbours where statutory harbour powers had been granted. Of these 418 were listed in detail—this list included all commercially significant ports, as well as a number of smaller ports and harbours. Some very small wharfs, terminals and harbours were not included. 2. Forty-three airports in the UK reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that they set down freight in 2005. Not all 142 licensed aerodromes would be able to handle freight.

Great Western Trains

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the change in freight train capacity and use on the south Wales line since 1997; and what steps his Department is taking to increase such capacity and use.

Tom Harris: These are operational matters for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. My hon. Friend should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive for a response to her question:
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Great Western Trains

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans First Great Western has to dispose of Adelante rolling stock; and what plans they have to acquire new rolling stock.

Tom Harris: As part of its franchise proposal First Great Western identified that the Adelante rolling stock would be returned to the lessor in December 2007. To replace this rolling stock First Great Western has taken on lease additional high speed train (HST) sets which have a higher seating capacity. The HST sets are going through a programme of major overhaul and refurbishment which includes re-engineering and reliability improvements.

Great Western Trains

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) locomotives and  (b) carriages operated by First Great Western were built before 1980.

Tom Harris: The following number of locomotives and carriages operated by First Great Western were built before 1980.
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) Locomotives  
			 Class 43 117 
			 Class 57 4 
			   
			  (b) Mark 3 High Speed Train (HST) carriages 426 
		
	
	However, it should be noted that although the HST sets are now around 30 years old they are subject to major investment committed through the franchise agreement to extend the life of the vehicles and locomotives. This will include re-engineering the locomotives and incorporating a reliability package which will improve the service to customers and the impact on the environment as the new engines are more environmentally friendly. The carriages are currently going through a programme of enhancement to improve the internal customer environment.

Great Western Trains

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age is of Mark III carriages used by First Great Western.

Tom Harris: The average age of Mark III carriages used by First Great Western is around 29 years. However taking this in context it should be noted that significant refurbishment has taken place throughout the life of the high speed train (HST) sets. As part of the commitment in the First Great Western franchise agreement, First Great Western is committed to life extension work which includes replacing the locomotive engines with ones which emit less smoke and toxic gases and are more fuel efficient, as well as investment in a reliability package. In terms of the carriages, they are currently undergoing a programme of major enhancement to improve the environment of the interior for passengers.

Great Western Trains

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what minimum number of services west of Swansea is stipulated by the First Greater Western franchise; and what consideration his Department has given to increasing the number of west Wales services.

Tom Harris: The service level commitment 2 ('SLC2') for the First Great Western franchise is available in the House of Commons Library.
	The services to be included in the Greater Western franchise were considered in the 'Greater Western FranchiseStakeholder Consultation Document' published by the Strategic Rail Authority in June 2005.

Immobilisation of Vehicles

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the operation of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 in relation to the activities and charges of private clamping companies; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	The Private Security Industry Act 2001 provides for the Security Industry Authority to license individuals who carry out licensable vehicle immobilising activities as defined by the Act and to ensure that they comply with the licensing requirements. It does not provide for the regulation of fees or other commercial matters.

Immobilisation of Vehicles

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the regulation of private clamping companies operating on private land; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	In January 2004 the Home Office published a full Regulatory Impact Assessment entitled Regulations to implement the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (the 2001 Act) in respect of Door Supervisors and Vehicle Immobilisers. This publication is available on the Security Industry Authority's (SIA) website at:
	http://www.the-sia.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2AE9A564-0443-4E47-AFCF-95BF8820A2B7/0/sia_ds_vi_ria.pdf.
	This covered individual vehicle immobilisers operating on private land where wheel-clamping is not governed by the Road Traffic Acts 1988 and 1991, as this was the scope defined by the 2001 Act. Licensing for these vehicle immobilisers has been required since February 2005. The 2001 Act does not regulate companies or their trading practices.

Immobilisation of Vehicles

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the activities of private clamping companies; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	During the second half of 2006 the Home Office received about 50 items of ministerial correspondence and three written parliamentary questions about the regulation of vehicle immobilisers. These included correspondence accepted on behalf of the Department for Transport and the Department of Trade and Industry. Most correspondence related to business practices, such as signage and fees, that are not governed by the Private Security Industry Act 2001 or the Road and Traffic Acts.

Leeds Traffic Area Office

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legal advice was obtained by the Vehicle and Operating Services Agency in advance of centralising licensing work to the Leeds Traffic Area Office; from whom the legal advice was obtained; when it was obtained; at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: It is not the Department's policy to comment on the legal advice which it obtains or what, if any, legal advice may have been obtained in a particular case.

Mayor of London: Powers

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the consultation closed on his proposals to extend the powers of the London Mayor beyond the London boundary; and when he expects to announce a decision.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 5 February 2007
	The consultation closed on May 31 2006. An announcement on the decision is expected shortly.

Milton Keynes Station: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the platforms at Milton Keynes Central train station were last extended; to what length they were extended; and why the platforms were extended.

Tom Harris: This is a matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

North London Railway Line

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to electrify the North London railway line between Barking and Gospel Oak; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Department has no plans to electrify the North London railway between Barking and Gospel Oak.

Pendolino Trains

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what he plans the maximum permitted length of Virgin Pendolino trains to be.

Tom Harris: The practical limit on the present west coast main line for the length of Pendolino trains is 11 cars, or 253 metres. Longer trains would require significant work at a number of stations along the route.

Rail Franchises

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to encourage public transport franchises to give customers the option of buying carnet tickets.

Tom Harris: While the Department is supportive of carnet, this is a commercial matter for rail franchise operators.

Rail Franchises

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much subsidy he expects to be paid to Virgin West Coast in each year until the end of the franchise.

Tom Harris: This information was published in the Department's press release of 13 December 2006. A copy of this release is available on the DfT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/.

Rail Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Virgin trains stop to drop off passengers but do not allow them to get on at Milton Keynes Central Station each day, broken down by time of arrival.

Tom Harris: There are currently two Virgin West Coast trains that stop at Milton Keynes Central to set down passengers but do not pick up traffic. These are the morning 0756 train originating from Wolverhampton and the late night 0014 train, also from Wolverhampton, both to London Euston.

Rail Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of spare capacity on Virgin trains heading south through, but not stopping at, Milton Keynes Central during peak hours in the morning.

Tom Harris: In mid-2006, standard class traffic on Virgin West Coast trains heading south through, but not calling at, Milton Keynes Central during peak hours in the morning filled over 90 per cent. of seating capacity. First class traffic filled around 60 per cent. of available seats. Passenger demand has continued to grow further since then.

Railway Stations

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the platforms at Milton Keynes Central train station were last extended; and for what reasons they were extended.

Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London
	NW1 2EE

Railways: Freight

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve rail freight capacity  (a) along the east coast main line, with particular reference to the line north of Newcastle, and elsewhere in England.

Tom Harris: These are operational matters for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member for the Vale of York should contact Network Rail's chief executive for a response to her question:
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London
	NW1 2EE

Railways: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent commissioning date is for the Portsmouth railway re-signalling project; and what the reasons are for the delay.

Tom Harris: These are operational matters for Network Rail, the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the address below for a response to his question:
	Mr John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW12EE

Road Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities there were on the A14 in Suffolk involving drivers under the age of 21 in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of reported personal injury road accidents involving drivers under the age of 21 and the resulting number of fatalities on the A14 in Suffolk, in each year since 1997 is given in the table.
	
		
			  Accidents involving drivers under the age of 21 and the resulting fatalities on the A14 in Suffolk, 1997 to 2005 
			  Number 
			   Accidents  Fatalities 
			 1997 21 1 
			 1998 26 1 
			 1999 21 1 
			 2000 22 0 
			 2001 26 1 
			 2002 27 1 
			 2003 29 0 
			 2004 28 0 
			 2005 28 0

Road Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities there were involving drivers under the age of 21 in (i) the Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (ii) Suffolk in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities there have been in (i) Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (ii) Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Accidents involving drivers under the age of 21 and the resulting fatalities in Suffolk and the parliamentary constituency of Bury St. Edmunds, 1997 to 2005 
			   Suffolk  Bury St. Edmunds( 1) 
			   (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities  (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities 
			 1997 665 12 105 3 
			 1998 746 3 107 1 
			 1999 712 9 90 1 
			 2000 677 16 109 4 
			 2001 686 11 104 0 
			 2002 659 8 91 1 
			 2003 711 15 112 0 
			 2004 678 9 84 1 
			 2005 727 9 99 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Accidents and fatalities in Suffolk and the parliamentary constituency of Bury St. Edmunds, 1997 to 2005 
			   Suffolk  Bury St. Edmunds( 1) 
			   (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities  (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities 
			 1997 2,224 43 332 8 
			 1998 2,251 23 326 3 
			 1999 2,298 48 285 8 
			 2000 2,312 56 352 10 
			 2001 2,356 53 321 6 
			 2002 2,300 43 299 7 
			 2003 2,341 60 333 8 
			 2004 2,220 42 301 5 
			 2005 2,237 36 296 7 
			 (1) The constituency figures are based on the 2004 boundary for Bury St. Edmunds constituency.

Road Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities there were on the A14 in Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1530W. The requested information is updated on an annual basis. 2006 data will be published in summer 2007.

Road Traffic: Accidents

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission and subsequently publish research on the relationship between vehicle flows and accident rates; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has commissioned research into the link between congestion and accident risk. The results have been published in Road Safety Research Report N44, published by DfT and available on our website. Copies are already available in the Libraries of the House.

Speed Limits

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the methodology for the calculation of the optimum speed limit for a particular road; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department published its new guidance to traffic authorities on the setting of local speed limits on 8 August 2006. The Department received only one written representation, which concerned the use of the mean vehicle speeds being travelled on the road as one of the determining factors to be taken into consideration.

Thameslink

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the figures for population growth in St. Albans and the surrounding area that the Government are using to assess the need to fund the Thameslink programme; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: A copy of the population growth projections that were used in the assessment of the Thameslink project has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Thameslink

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans other than the Thameslink programme his Department is considering to increase rail capacity from St. Albans to London during morning and evening peak hours.

Tom Harris: The Department is not actively considering any schemes to increase peak time capacity between St. Albans and London other than the Thameslink programme.

Thameslink

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the roles of  (a) Network Rail,  (b) train operators and  (c) his Department are in determining the frequency and stopping patterns of train services operating on (i) the present and (ii) a future Thameslink route.

Tom Harris: The frequency and stopping pattern that operates on the current Thameslink route was specified by DfT, and was detailed in the franchise competition for this route which took place in 2005-06. The franchise was awarded to First Capital Connect, who took over the operation of the service in April 2006.
	The future train service pattern on this route will also be specified by DfT, although the actual timetable to be operated will remain a matter for the train operator and Network Rail.

Thameslink

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the powers granted to Network Rail for the Thameslink programme would enable any part of the scheme to proceed without the assurance from Government that the necessary funding will be in place for the full scheme to be completed.

Tom Harris: The Department is currently considering the investment case for the whole Thameslink project, consistent with the TWA powers that were granted to Network Rail in October last year.

Thameslink

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2007,  Official Report, column 75, on Thameslink, in which year the decision will be made in the context of the high level output specification.

Tom Harris: A decision on the Thameslink project will be taken during 2007. High level output specification covers the control period 2009-14.

Toll Roads

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on the analysis by consultants of the impact of tolls on the traffic flow at the Dartford River Crossing; what assumptions were used in the analysis; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Two reports have considered the implications of tolls on safety and traffic levels. In 2001 Brown and Root Consulting prepared a report on the Short Term Study of Extension of Dartford Tolls. In 2004 Jacobs Babtie produced a report on Getting the Most out of the Dartford Crossing. Both reports are available in the House Library and on the DfT website. Information about the costs of the studies is not available.

Transport: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his officials have to meet  (a) Opportunity Peterborough,  (b) East of England Development Agency and  (c) Peterborough city council to discuss future transport infrastructure in the Greater Peterborough area; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 5 February 2007
	No meetings are planned between Department for Transport officials and the three named organisations specifically or solely to discuss future transport infrastructure in the Greater Peterborough area. Dialogue takes place routinely and regularly with these bodies on a range of transport and development topics, generally through or involving the Government Office for the East of England. Officials from GO East will be meeting those of Peterborough city council on 12 February to discuss the local transport settlement announced in December 2006 and the accompanying assessments of the authority's second local transport plan and delivery report.

WALES

Departmental Contracts

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which public affairs firms have been given contracts by  (a) his Department and  (b) public bodies sponsored by his Department in the last five years; and what the purpose was of each contract.

Peter Hain: None.

Radioactive Wastes

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether any of the potential locations for the final disposal of radioactive waste being screened by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority are in Wales.

Peter Hain: I am advised that there is no consideration or screening of potential sites under way at the present time. The Government will be consulting on both the technical aspects of designing and developing a geological disposal facility and the process and criteria for identifying the siting of that facility later this year.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Local Government Boundary Commissioners

Greg Pope: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, 
	(1)  what the  (a) salary scale and  (b) term of appointment is for a local government boundary commissioner for England;
	(2)  what experience and qualifications are required for candidates for appointment as local government boundary commissioners for England;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of local government boundary commissioners for England are qualified lawyers.

Peter Viggers: There is no specific office of 'local government boundary commissioner for England'. The functions of the Local Government Commission for England (LGCE) were transferred to the Boundary Committee for England (BCE), a statutory committee of the Electoral Commission, on 1 April 2002.
	The Electoral Commission appoints the members of BCE, which may comprise only electoral commissioners and deputy electoral commissioners, with an electoral commissioner appointed as chairman. The current membership consists of the electoral commissioner who chairs it, and four deputy electoral commissioners.
	The chair of BCE has served in that capacity since its establishment, and was most recently reappointed as an electoral commissioner in January 2007. She also served on LGCE for four years. Her current rate of remuneration as a part-time electoral commissioner is 337 per day, plus reimbursement of reasonable travel and subsistence incurred on Commission business.
	Deputy electoral commissioners, whose functions are limited to serving on boundary committees, are appointed by the Electoral Commission. I am asking the Commission to write to the hon. Member setting out details of the person specification used in their original recruitment, and of the terms for which the current deputy commissioners are appointed, and to place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House. The Commission informs me that it is currently reviewing the person specification in anticipation of the need to recruit new deputy electoral commissioners in the near future to replace existing appointees whose terms are coming to an end. Remuneration of deputy electoral commissioners is fixed by the Electoral Commission, and it informs me that the current rate is 296 per day, plus reimbursement of reasonable travel and subsistence incurred on BCE business.
	The Electoral Commission informs me that none of the members of BCE is a qualified lawyer.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Committees: Ministerial Attendance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what occasions  (a) she and  (b) departmental Ministers have been requested to appear before committees of (i) devolved institutions and (ii) the European Parliament since 2004; on what topic in each case; how many and what proportion of such requests were accepted; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Since 2004, there has been one such request. In December 2005 the Deputy Prime Minister was requested to update the Urban and Housing Intergroup of the European Parliament, about the EU Ministerial Informal on Sustainable Communities, which had been held in Bristol earlier that month. The Minister delegated the request to a senior official who addressed the meeting.
	The Deputy Prime Minister visited the European Parliament in his capacity as the Prime Minister's special political representative for the UK presidency on five occasions during this period.
	No Ministers from the Department or its predecessor Department have appeared before committees of devolved institutions since 2004.

Communities England

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to ask Communities England to implement the recommendations of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission.

Yvette Cooper: Communities England is broadly expected to assume the existing responsibilities currently carried out by the Housing Corporation. We are using a range of channels and mechanisms to respond to the report of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission, including the forthcoming Spending Review. We are separately considering the regulation of social housing in the independent review under Professor Martin Cave.

Consultants

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 698W, on consultants, if she will place in the Library the report produced for her Department by McKinsey and Co. on communications.

Angela Smith: A summary has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Expenditure

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department on buying, operating and supporting  (a) all commercial software products and  (b) software products produced by Microsoft in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006.
	The following figures in respect of expenditure on software licences and maintenance for the last three complete financial years are for the Department's predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	
		
			  Corporate IT services 
			  000( 1) 
			  Financial year  Total software (including Microsoft)  Identifiable as Microsoft 
			 2003-04 993 230 
			 2004-05 817 230 
			 2005-06 333 60 
			 (1) These figures include the cost of licences, maintenance and upgrade protection and exclude VAT 
		
	
	Figures for software licences purchased by the ODPM for non-corporate IT services over the same period are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total software licences (000)( 1) 
			 2003-04 3,188 
			 2004-05 2,636 
			 2005-06 1,828 
			 (1) Excluding VAT

Departmental Targets

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many targets set by her Department were met by Coventry city council in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Coventry's reported progress in relation to Communities and Local Government targets is:
	8.751 million efficiency gains by the end of 2005-06, which compares to their target of 8.183 million.
	The annual data produced by the Housing Corporation confirm that as at April 2006, 80 per cent. of Coventry's 21,000 social housing dwellings were decent. Coventry is currently judged to be on track to achieve the 100 per cent. Decent Homes target by 2010.
	The baseline in relation to the number of vulnerable households in the private sector that live in a decent home is currently being established. Progress on this target will be measured against this baseline.
	Coventry exceeded the three targets for timely handling of major, minor and other applications in the year to September 2006.
	The Local Strategic Partnership of which Coventry is a partner is in the process of agreeing with CLG the performance management assessment against their delivery of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund floor targets for 2005-06.
	Coventry also has targets that are agreed through its local area agreement (LAA). These are three-year agreements, based on local community strategies, which set out the priorities for a local area. LAA outcomes and indicators are currently drawn from the outcomes framework in the LAA guidance. The guidance can be found at http://www.communities. gov.uk/index.asp?id=1164930

Departmental Travel

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1613W, on departmental travel, if she will collect data recording the destination and purpose of all overseas travel by officials.

Angela Smith: Data on the destination of all overseas travel by officials are already collected centrally and enhancements to our HR management information system will mean that the purpose of all trips will be recorded centrally from 1 April 2007.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to monitor compliance with the gender equality duty in respect of domestic violence.

Meg Munn: The Equal Opportunities Commission (until October 2007) and the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (after October 2007) will be responsible for monitoring public authorities' compliance with the gender equality duty from April 2007.

Equality Act 2006

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to make further entries under part 1, section 10(2) of the Equality Act 2006.

Phil Woolas: There are no plans to do so.

European Regional Development Fund

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will break down by programme the expenditure on the European Regional Development Fund initiative in the  (a) East Midlands and  (b) Eastern region in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: East Midlands and the Eastern region both have two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmesObjective 2 and Community Initiative Urban II. The total ERDF expenditure by programme for 2005-06 is as follows:
	
		
			  Total ERDF programme spend by region2005-06 
			  Programme  Amount ( million) 
			 East Midlands Objective 2 28.9 
			 East MidlandsDerby Urban II 1.1 
			 Eastern Region Objective 2 16.1 
			 Eastern RegionPeterborough Urban II 1.0 
			 Total 47.1

European Regional Development Fund

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will break down by programme the expenditure from the European Regional Development Fund initiative in the  (a) South West,  (b) West Midlands,  (c) Yorkshire and Humberside,  (d) South East,  (e) North West,  (f) North East and  (g) London regions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The total European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) expenditure by programme for 2005-06 is as follows:
	
		
			  Total ERDF spend by programme: 2005-06 
			  Programme   million 
			 South West Objective 1 30.2 
			 South West Objective 2 13.0 
			 South WestBristol Urban 1.3 
			 West Midlands Objective 2 31.3 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Objective 1 72.0 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Objective 2 40.6 
			 Yorkshire and HumbersideHalifax Urban 1.2 
			 South East Objective 2 2.5 
			 South EastThames Gateway Urban 1.2 
			 North West Objective 1Merseyside 64.3 
			 North West Objective 2 65.1 
			 North WestBurnley Urban 1.4 
			 North East Objective 2 49.9 
			 North-EastHetton and Murton Urban 1.0 
			 London Objective 2 29.9 
			 LondonStockwell Urban 1.0

Home Inspectors

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home inspectors  (a) are fully qualified,  (b) are in training and  (c) have withdrawn from training.

Yvette Cooper: Figures on the number and status of candidates are reported regularly by the individual assessment centres on a voluntary basis.
	As at 5 November 2006:
	 (a) there were 650 home inspectors who had completed their training, of whom 230 had been issued with their certificate
	 (b) there were 4,470 candidates still in training
	 (c) it is not currently possible to provide figures on numbers withdrawing from training as these are collated separately by centres. They are currently dealing with large changes in their candidate pool, with an increase in those joining, together with many wishing to transfer between the courses offered by new awarding bodies and also to the new Domestic Energy Assessor qualification.
	Figures for December were not complete and figures for January are still being collated.

Housing

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacant dwellings there were in West Lancashire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: At October 2005 West Lancashire district council reported a total of 1,471 vacant homes. This includes properties which have been vacant for less than six months.

Housing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will break down the Government's objective for a 200,000 net increase in the number of homes by 2016 by  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: In their response to Kate Barker's review of housing supply, the Government outlined their ambition to increase housing supply to 200,000 homes per year by 2016.
	How the ambition will be achieved across the country at regional, sub-regional and local level is determined through statutory planning processes.

Local Authority Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) new and  (b) higher taxes which increase the costs of providing local authority services will be compensated for by additional central Government funding under her Department's new-burdens principle.

Phil Woolas: The Government look at all pressures on local government, including any increased costs through tax changes, and the extent to which they can be managed, when setting the overall level of funding for local authorities. The specific new-burdens principle applies only to policies which impact solely or disproportionately on local government.

Milton Keynes Tariff

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her plans are for the level of the contribution made under the Milton Keynes tariff.

Phil Woolas: The Milton Keynes Prospectus, commonly known as the tariff, is a planning obligation, under the Town and Country Planning Act and covers part of Milton Keynes. The final agreement has yet to be signed by all concerned parties, and until this has been completed the full details of the tariff will not be available.
	The Milton Keynes Partnership's Business Plan 2006-07 to 2010-11 explains that Communities and Local Government agreed to English Partnerships forward funding projects within the tariff to a maximum peak funding of 80 million. The business plan also sets out that it expects to raise 311 million from developers of the relevant expansion areas.

Minerva

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister took the decision not to call in the planning application for the Minerva Park Place shopping development in Croydon.

Meg Munn: Lord Rooker, the then Minister for Planning, Housing and Regeneration, took the decision not to call in the planning application for the Croydon Park Place retail development.

Privacy Impact Assessments

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what privacy impact assessments have been produced by her Department and its predecessors since 2002.

Angela Smith: I am unaware of any privacy impact assessments having been produced by Communities and Local Government and its predecessors during this period.

Public Information

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on her Department's response to the Office of Fair Trading's report The commercial use of public information.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer by the Minister of State for Trade and Industry on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 315W.

Regional Bodies

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was allocated to  (a) regional assemblies and  (b) Government offices for the regions for 2006-07, broken down by budget heading.

Angela Smith: The total estimated Communities and Local Government allocation to  (a) regional assemblies and  (b) Government offices for the regions for 2006-07 are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  (a) Regional assemblies 
			   
			  Regional assembly  Single pot  Planning delivery grant (PDG)  Total 
			 East 1,618,000 735,000 2,353,000 
			 East Midlands 1,426,000 771,000 2,197,000 
			 North East 1,355,000 544,000 1,899,000 
			 North West 1,588,000 1,049,000 2,637,000 
			 South East 1,725,000 1,656,000 3,381,000 
			 South West 1,496,500 793,000 2,289,500 
			 West Midlands 1,505,210 713,000 2,218,210 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,490,000 574,000 2,064,000 
			 English Regions Network 240,000  240,000 
			 Total regional assemblies grant 12,443,710 6,835,000 19,278,710 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Government offices for the regions 
			   
			  Government office  Administration funding  Programme funding  Total 
			 East 4,712,000 27,515,000 32,227,000 
			 East Midlands 3,999,000 58,521,000 62,520,000 
			 North East 3,944,000 91,453,000 95,397,000 
			 North West 6,627,000 311,832,000 318,459,000 
			 South East 5,613,000 38,106,000 43,719,000 
			 South West 4,686,000 105,610,000 110,296.000 
			 West Midlands 4,365,000 119,698,000 124,063,000 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 4,147,000 238,687,000 242,834,000 
			 London 7,735,000 139,652,000 147,387,000 
			 Total 45,828,000 1,131,074,000 1,176,902,000

Section 106 Agreements

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been generated within Essex in the last 10 years from agreements made under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; and what percentage of this revenue has been used to fund community projects.

Yvette Cooper: Information on individual section 106 agreements is held by local planning authorities and not collected centrally. The Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment) (England) Order 2002 (Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 828), which came into effect on 1 July 2002, requires details of planning obligations to be recorded in both Parts I and II of the local planning authority's planning register, which should be available for public reference.

Social Housing

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses are owned by  (a) local authorities and  (b) housing associations in England; and how many additional houses have been provided by (i) local authorities and (ii) housing associations in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: For information on social housing provision in Wales I refer the hon. Member to the Welsh Assembly Government Statistical Directorate.
	In England on 1 April 2006 there were 1,891,980 self-contained units/bed spaces owned by registered social landlords and 2,087,456 dwellings owned by local authorities. These figures refer only to social rent housing units and are as reported by registered social landlords and local authorities.
	The additional numbers of social rent dwellings provided by local authorities and registered social landlords in each of the last 10 years in England are given in the following table. A further 7,900 social rent housing units were provided over the period that were funded solely through section 106 agreements.
	We have set the Housing Corporation a target to provide 21,000 social rent homes in 2006-07 and 28,000 in 2007-08 through its affordable housing programme. This combined with homes provided through other initiatives including local authorities will allow us to meet our target of providing 30,000 social rented homes a year by 2008.
	The majority of public sector investment for new social housing goes to housing associations as they can lever in around 40 per cent. independent borrowing and deliver more units than local authorities for a given amount of public subsidy. The Government are currently looking at ways for local authorities to play a greater role in building more homes.
	
		
			  Additional social rent units provided: England 
			   Local authorities  Registered social landlords 
			 1996-97 451 42,014 
			 1997-98 323 35,457 
			 1998-99 194 33,382 
			 1999-2000 88 28,634 
			 2000-01 179 26,141 
			 2001-02 63 25,642 
			 2002-03 199 23,007 
			 2003-04 191 20,895 
			 2004-05 100 19,527 
			 2005-06 299 20,761 
			  Notes: 1. Includes new build and acquisitions. 2. Excludes 7,900 dwellings funded solely through section 106 agreements.  Source: Housing Corporation, Local Authorities (HSSA, P2)

Thames Gateway

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on external  (a) communications,  (b) branding and  (c) marketing advice for the Thames Gateway project.

Yvette Cooper: My Department has spent a total of 330,000 on communications including the development of the Thames Gateway section of the Department for Communities and Local Government website, information capture mechanisms, inward investment marketing and surveys of residents.

Thames Gateway

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will break down by programme expenditure on the Thames Gateway initiative in the  (a) London,  (b) Eastern and  (c) South East region in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Expenditure by the Department for Communities and Local Government as part of the Thames Gateway programme in the year ending 31 March 2006 was broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Amount ( million) 
			 London 60.2 
			 Eastern 46.4 
			 South East 57.1 
		
	
	This is in addition to cross-government investment in infrastructure in the Thames Gateway.

DEFENCE

Civilian Prisoners: Compensation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the claims for compensation from  (a) Ralph Armstrong,  (b) Felix Carady and  (c) Maisie Prendergast under the scheme for British civilian prisoners of the Japanese put to him by the Association of British Internees on 28th July 2006 have been paid.

Derek Twigg: It would not be appropriate to comment publicly on these individual cases. As at January 2007, 134 claims have been paid under the 20-year UK residence criterion introduced last year; 44 are under consideration; but 11 claims are being held following agreement with the association of British Civilian Internees Far East Region (ABCIFER) that claims would not be rejected until we had discussed with the association the way in which the 20-year residency criterion was working and investigated any concerns. When I met with the chairman of ABCIFER on 13 December 2006, he raised a number of concerns which we are investigating, including consulting other Government Departments where required. I expect this work to be resolved shortly and will then both respond to ABCIFER on the issues raised and advise the claimants of the decisions on their claims.

Departmental Vetting

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether information about individuals, other than their previous convictions, held on local police databases is accessible by the Defence Vetting Agency when undertaking clearance checks for his Department.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 23 January 2007
	For national security clearances the Defence Vetting Agency in common with other vetting authorities in Government has routine access to data on the Police National Computer and carries out other checks, including checks with the Security Service, in accordance with the Prime Minister's Statement on vetting on 15 December 1994,  Official Report, column 764 -766W. This does not include direct access to local police databases. Separately, the Defence Vetting Agency is the designated Defence authority for carrying out checks with the Criminal Records Bureau in order to meet statutory obligations in respect of staff who work with children and vulnerable adults.

EU Fundamental Rights Agency

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the activities of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency on his Department.

Derek Twigg: I do not envisage any significant impact by the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency upon the activities of the Department. The work of the Agency will focus on Community law.

Ex-servicemen: Medals

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to promote awareness of the veterans badge and its availability.

Derek Twigg: The eligibility to apply for the HM armed forces veterans badge and UK merchant seafarers veterans badge is advertised on the Veterans Agency website (www.veteransagency.mod.uk). It has also been publicised through Government and ex-Service organisation publications, through local and national press articles featuring coverage of announcements of extensions of eligibility to apply for the badges and through badge-presentation ceremonies. We are also promoting badge-presentation ceremonies as a key part of this year's Veterans Day events. The position is kept under review, including considering opportunities to provide further publicity for the scheme.

Kuwait

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what UK troops are stationed in Kuwait;
	(2)  what support the Government of Kuwait give to the UK for the stationing of UK troops in that country.

Des Browne: As at 28 January, the UK had around 70 military personnel stationed in Kuwait. They are: a small defence section in the British embassy, a British military mission to the Kuwaiti armed forces, and a small number of logistics, movement and engineering staff.
	The Government of Kuwait reimburse the British Government for the costs of the British military mission, and provide a small degree of support for our movements, logistics and engineering staff based in Kuwait.

Nuclear Weapons

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors were taken into account in reaching the conclusion in the White Paper on the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent that the upper limit on the number of operationally available warheads should be 160; and what  (a) methodology and  (b) calculations were used in reaching that conclusion.

Des Browne: As we said in paragraph 4-9 of the White Paper 'The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent',  Official Report, column 6994, published on 4 December, in determining the scale of minimum nuclear deterrent,
	We need to make a judgment on the minimum destructive capability necessary to provide an effective deterrent posture. This judgment requires an assessment of the decision-making processes of future potential aggressors, and an analysis of the effectiveness of the defensive measures that they might employ.
	The new upper limit of less than 160 operationally available warheads reflects the results of that judgment, together with our NATO commitments, and the way in which we operate the deterrent submarines. I am withholding further details as their disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the defence of the United Kingdom.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Welfare

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1822W, on animal welfare, in what ways animal welfare stakeholders will be actively involved in the development of the Animals Scientific Procedures Better Regulation Programme; and what effect the programme will have on  (a) the procedures licensed under the 1986 Act and  (b) the codes of practice for the housing and care of animals.

Joan Ryan: A steering group has been convened to advise on strategic and cross-cutting issues arising from the Animals Scientific Procedures Better Regulation Programme to ensure that any changes to the regulatory system do not compromise animal welfare. The steering group has representation from the Home Office and other Government Departments, industry, academia and organisations focused on animal protection and the reduction, refinement and replacement of animal procedures.
	We are also currently setting up a working group of operational level practitioners to help identify and prioritise the key regulatory requirements and administrative processes to be improved, compliance costs to be reduced, and to help devise and test practical solutions. The maintenance of animal welfare standards will be a key consideration for the working group. In addition, aspects of the programme will be subject to a public consultation to which all stakeholders, including animal welfare groups, will be encouraged to contribute.
	We have no intention of introducing measures that will weaken the protections afforded by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 or harm animal welfare. The programme will not result in changes to procedures permitted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, or to the housing and care of animals bred and used under the Act.

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies are directly or indirectly connected with animal health and welfare; whether an animal welfare specialist is represented on each; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Home Office has one advisory body concerned with animal health and welfare, the Animal Procedures Committee. The role of the Animal Procedures Committee is to advise the Home Secretary on matters concerned with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and his functions under it.
	All members of the committee share a common concern for the welfare of the animals used in scientific procedures, and in considering any matter must have regard both to the legitimate requirements of science and industry and to the protection of animals against avoidable suffering and unnecessary use.
	Under section 19 of the Act, excluding the chairman, there must be a minimum of 12 members, one must be a lawyer and at least two thirds must be medical practitioners, veterinary surgeons or have qualifications or experience in a biological subject. At least half of the members must not have held a licence to carry out procedures on animals within the last six years and animal welfare interests must be adequately represented.
	Members are selected on personal merit, and not as nominees, delegates or representatives of any organisations or pressure groups.
	Current membership includes one member employed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and one employed by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research.

Bermuda Regiment

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) United Kingdom police and  (b) the Immigration and Nationality Directorate co-operate with the Bermuda Regiment in enforcing male conscription amongst Bermudians resident in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	We understand that the Bermuda Regiment has never requested the assistance of the UK police or Immigration and Nationality Directorate to assist in enforcing conscription of Bermudians resident in the UK.

Biometric Data

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which foreign agencies his Department has shared biometric data in the last 12 months.

Joan Ryan: The need for sharing biometric data with foreign agencies is business specific and as such there is no central record detailing the specific agencies that the Home Office has shared biometric data with over the last 12 months.
	The Home Office does share biometric information with foreign agencies on a case-by-case basis where this is necessary for the prevention or detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders or for immigration purposes, and this includes:
	immigration and law enforcement agencies within the 26 member states of the EU;
	Australian, Canadian and US authorities;
	any other foreign Government where it is necessary to secure the removal of a foreign individual.
	The Home Office shares fingerprints with European member states through EuroDac, the European Asylum Fingerprint system.

Crime: Bus Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed on buses in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally. Offences on buses cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime series.

Crime: Nature Conservation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are employed in the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crime, broken down by constabulary.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Crime: Railway Stations

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed at each railway station in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally. Offences at railway stations cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime series.

Crime: Weapons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the use of metal detector gloves by police forces to detect weapons on suspects; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) has been made aware of metal detecting gloves by at least one UK supplier and they appear in the HOSDB 'Manual of Search and Detection Equipment' which goes out to all UK police forces each year. Other types of metal detector are also featured.

DNA Profiles

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1111-12W, on DNA profiles, what progress has been made towards allowing more accurate and easier cross-referencing of the DNA Database and the Police National Computer.

Joan Ryan: In 2005, the National DNA Database (NDNAD) and the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) had discussions on the possibility of making a technical change to the electronic link between the Police National Computer (PNC) and the NDNAD to enable data on arrest histories to be transferred from the PNC to the NDNAD.
	In early 2006, the NDNAD and PITO decided to consider other options for the provision of such data as an alternative to a change to the electronic link. Several meetings were held between the NDNAD, the Home Office and PITO in 2006 on this issue and discussions are still ongoing on the possibility of being able to provide such information from the NDNAD and PNC in the future on a quarterly basis.

Driving Offences

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have received  (a) one and  (b) more than one fixed penalty notice for driving without insurance in each year since 2003.

Vernon Coaker: A person cannot be offered more than one fixed penalty for uninsured driving in any one year. The offence carries obligatory endorsement of six to eight penalty points, so a second offence would render a person liable to disqualification under totting-up and a fixed penalty cannot be offered in such circumstances.
	Available information taken from the Motoring Offences Fixed Penalty Notices collection held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, from 2003 to 2004 (latest available) on the number of notices issued for the offence of driving without insurance is provided in the table.
	2005 data will be available later in the year.
	
		
			  Total number of fixed penalty notices issued( 1,2 ) for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 3) , England and Wales, 2003-04 
			   Number of offences 
			 2003(1) 458 
			 2004 1,463 
			 (1) As from 1 June 2003, 'driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks' became a fixed penalty offence. (2) Only covers tickets paid where there is no further action. (3) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143 (2).  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system currently being implemented by the Department for Constitutional Affairs reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Driving Offences

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were in  (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale and  (b) Lancashire for driving without insurance in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004, (iii) 2005 and (iv) 2006.

Vernon Coaker: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 30 January 2007,  Official Report, column 193W.

Drug-related Offences

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug-related offences were recorded by police forces in each county of the east of England in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Data collected centrally do not identify whether offences (other than drug offences) are drug related. The recorded crime series does include numbers of drug offences which are given as follows.
	
		
			  Recorded drug offences for each police force in the eastern region 
			  Force name  1997 
			 Bedfordshire 223 
			 Cambridgeshire 205 
			 Essex 401 
			 Hertfordshire 215 
			 Norfolk 337 
			 Suffolk 333 
			  Note: Prior to April 1998, 'trafficking in controlled drugs' was the only drug offence included in the recorded crime series. 
		
	
	
		
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Bedfordshire 1,141 1,081 896 1,009 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,166 1,011 829 798 
			 Essex 2,312 2,421 2,208 2,212 
			 Hertfordshire 1,197 1,180 1,438 1,350 
			 Norfolk 1,534 1,561 1,160 1,211 
			 Suffolk 1,581 1,410 1,178 1,292 
			  Note: The introduction of the revised counting rules in April 1998 expanded offence coverage. This included the addition of 'possession of controlled drugs' and 'other drug offences'. These data are not comparable with earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bedfordshire 1,069 1,130 1,131 1,228 
			 Cambridgeshire 904 1,047 1,174 1,442 
			 Essex 2,377 2,295 2,328 2,889 
			 Hertfordshire 1,553 1,678 1,754 2,044 
			 Norfolk 1,392 1,508 1,602 1,821 
			 Suffolk 1,689 1,923 1,974 2,015 
			  Note: Numbers of recorded crime were affected by changes in reporting and recording following the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These data are not comparable with earlier years.

Extradition Requests: Russian Federation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the costs to the public purse were of extradition requests from the Russian Federation in the cases of  (a) Arhmed Zachaeav,  (b) Natalia Chernysheva,  (c) Vladimir Maruev,  (d) Alexandre Termerko,  (e) Boris Berezovsky,  (f) Ramal Boruganov and  (g) Alexander Gorbachev, broken down by Government agency.

Joan Ryan: It is not feasible to provide a complete or accurate breakdown of costs incurred in individual extradition cases by each Government Department and its supporting agencies. In each agency involved, the cases were dealt with as part of its overall and larger caseload. However, there are known legal costs to the public purse in these seven cases amounting to 3,177,292.

Former German Prisoners of War

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what records of former German prisoners of war (POWs) from the Second World War were maintained in the UK; what assessment he has made of their accuracy; whether such records distinguish between POWs identified as Nazi Party members or active sympathisers and others; whether records are kept of which POWs in each category remained in the UK after the general repatriation of POWs; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Home Office was not responsible for Prisoners of War (POWs) during the Second World War. Personnel records maintained by the War Office's Prisoner of War Information Bureau (PWIB) in London were transferred either to the German Red Cross in 1949 or to the Deutsche Dienstelle (WASt) in Berlin following a decision in 1960 to offer them to the German Federal Government. It is not feasible to make an assessment of the accuracy of these records or whether they contain the information sought. I understand that most other surviving records from the War Office and other Departments relating to German prisoners of war have already been released to the National Archives.

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether those who applied to the highly skilled migrant programme prior to September 2006 were warned of the potential for retrospectively-applied changes to the scheme.

John Reid: The recent changes to the highly skilled migrant programme have no effect on existing grants of leave. We are therefore not applying them retrospectively. A grant of leave in a category of the immigration rules does not create the expectation of a further grant of leave in that category.

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment the Government have made of the effect of changes to the highly skilled migrant programme on previously successful applicants.

John Reid: All persons who were granted leave under the highly skilled migrant programme (HSMP) before the changes were implemented will be able to complete that period of leave.

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of age discrimination legislation on the use of an age-related points system in the highly skilled migrant programme.

John Reid: Age discrimination legislation is aimed at preventing employers from carrying out practices which discriminate on the basis of age. The immigration rules do not therefore fall directly within its scope as they govern the entry into and stay of people in the UK who are subject to immigration control. The points for age were introduced to avoid disadvantaging younger people, who may have had less time to build up their earnings, from being able to enter under the scheme.

Mosaic Data

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department and its agencies use Mosaic data.

Joan Ryan: The Department and its agencies do not currently use Mosaic data.

Passports

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any changes have been made to the criteria for acceptability for passport photographs submitted to the Identity and Passport Service since the publication of the most recent version of information leaflet PLE/04, on passport photographs.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 5 February 2007
	The photo standards information leaflet, PLE/04, was introduced in January 2006 in support of changes in the criteria introduced in late November 2005. There have been no subsequent changes to the criteria used by the Identity and Passport Service in accepting photographs. The guidance and leaflet are being reviewed and may be updated in response to feedback from customers and staff.

Passports

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Warrington, North have been issued with a free passport.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) does not ask passport holders to keep their address up to date on our database. Therefore, the IPS cannot identify the number of current residents by geographical area who have taken advantage of the scheme to issue free passports to those applicants born on or before 2 September 1929.
	However 398,615 people born on or before 2 September 1929 have in total had their entitlement to free British passports fulfilled by the IPS up until 31 December 2006. This includes passports issued on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to British residents overseas.

Rape Victims

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported rapes were wrongly recorded and dismissed in  (a) Solihull and  (b) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally.

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used by the police for determining whether to bring charges for an offence under section 132 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.

Vernon Coaker: Guidance on this is an operational matter for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Transport Crime

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed on  (a) buses and  (b) trains in Chorley in each of the last five years, broken down by type of crime.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally. The recorded crime series does not include the location of an offence, only the numbers of offences.

PRIME MINISTER

Iraq and Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Prime Minister how many letters of condolence he has sent to the next of kin of personnel who have died in action in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq in each year since 2001.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the then Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Mr. Marsden) on 8 November 2004,  Official Report, column 450W.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

Recruitment Agencies

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission how much the National Audit Office paid to recruitment agencies for the hire of temporary staff in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Williams: National Audit Office expenditure on the hire of temporary staff from 1997-98 to 2005-06 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   000 
			  Year  Expenditure 
			 1997-98 342 
			 1998-99 385 
			 1999-2000 315 
			 2000-01 332 
			 2001-02 313 
			 2002-03 527 
			 2003-04 378 
			 2004-05 312 
			 2005-06 650 
		
	
	National Audit Office resourcing policy is to hire temporary staff to cover short-term resource requirements for which it would be too costly to recruit permanent members of staff. For example, the Office's financial audit workload reaches a peak in May and June each year and this is partly met by buying in additional skilled resources on a temporary basis. This trend has increased in recent years as more Departments try to meet the Treasury's 'faster closing' targets and lay their accounts before the parliamentary summer recess and this also explains the increase in costs between 2004-05 and 2005-06. The peak in 2002-03 reflected the increase in the number of value for money reports from 50 to 60 combined with the fact that, because of the state of the recruitment market, it was taking longer than usual to fill posts.

HEALTH

Connecting for Health

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received on the cost of, and progress made in, the Connecting for Health IT project.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend has received no recent representations on these specific matters. However, the project has made very substantial progress and is being delivered within budget.

Childhood Obesity

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action her Department is taking to reduce obesity amongst children.

Caroline Flint: We are totally committed to tackling obesity, putting in place universal and local action. We have an obesity public service agreement target to halt the year-on-year rise in obesity among children aged under 11 by 2010 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole.

Acute Services Trusts

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future organisation of acute services trusts in  (a) Northamptonshire and  (b) England.

Andy Burnham: I understand that NHS East Midlands is to commission an externally led initial review of the key organisational model options for acute services in Northamptonshire. This is expected to report on a range of options by the end of March.
	In parallel to this, I understand that Northamptonshire primary care trust is leading a separate review of acute clinical services provision between Kettering General NHS Trust and Northampton General NHS Trust.
	It is for the local NHS to determine the configuration of local services and organisations.

Broomfield Hospital

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reaching a decision on the Broomfield Hospital private finance initiative scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Intensive discussions are taking place between the trust, strategic health authority and officials in order to conclude the re-scoping exercise.

Specialist Nurse Training

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for specialist nursing training in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have supported the development of a range of specialist roles within nursing. However it is for local trusts to commission training and to deploy specialist nurses in accordance with their local needs.

NHS Finance: East Anglia

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she next expects to meet primary care trust chief executives from East Anglia to discuss deficits.

Andy Burnham: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no immediate plans to meet with the chief executives of the East Anglia primary care trusts. However, officials from the Department of Health meet regularly with chef executives from strategic health authorities to discuss their performance and progress on financial recovery plans where necessary.

Maternity Services: Greater Manchester

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the reorganisation of maternity services in Greater Manchester.

Rosie Winterton: The joint committee of primary care trusts in Greater Manchester met on 8 December to agree changes to children's and maternity services following the four-month Making it Better consultation.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has now received a formal request to review that decision from Salford city council's overview and scrutiny committee.

Smoking Ban

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what ways she plans to assess the effectiveness of the legislation banning smoking in public places.

Caroline Flint: The Department is planning to evaluate the smokefree legislation through a range of independent studies. These studies will give an overview of the effectiveness of smokefree legislation after implementation. The proposals are currently going through an academic peer review process.

Bathing Assessments

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time was for an initial bathing assessment in each social services department in England in the last period for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the financial position of the Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust.

Ivan Lewis: At the end of quarter two of 2006-07, Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust is forecasting a financial year-end deficit position of 3.5 million.

Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will meet a delegation from Brent council to discuss cuts in Brent Teaching Primary Care Trust services; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 22 January 2007
	The Secretary of State has asked my noble Friend Lord Hunt, the departmental Minister with regional responsibility for London, to meet the hon. Member and her delegation to discuss Brent primary care trust (PCT). His office will be in touch shortly to arrange a meeting.
	Since 2003, Brent PCT has received the following allocations which have increased on a year by year basis:
	
		
			million 
			 2003-04 291.02 
			 2004-05 319.86 
			 2005-06 351.99 
			 2006-07 407.60 
			 2007-08 440.84

Care Homes

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to announce the national framework criteria for access to NHS continuing care.

Ivan Lewis: We received a large response to the continuing care consultation which raised a number of important issues which have needed careful consideration. We intend to publish our response in the near future.

Clinical Trials

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the objective value of medicinal drugs trials undertaken by  (a) pharmaceutical companies and  (b) independent bodies.

Caroline Flint: Clinical trials are required by law and are essential in medicines development to evaluate safety and efficacy. Applicants must supply all relevant data generated including those from any unfavourable or incomplete trials. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. The data are rigorously assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Clostridium Difficile

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to hospitals on dealing with clostridium difficile; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has issued the following guidance specifically for the management and control of  Clostridium difficile:
	a professional letter on health care associated infections including particularly infection caused by  Clostridium difficile was issued to all chief executives of national health service acute trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities on 7 December 2006. This letter set out the policies and clinical practices needed to control  Clostridium difficile and also included very simple operational guidance for managers;
	a high impact intervention on  Clostridium difficile was added to our delivery programme 'Saving lives: a delivery programme to reduce healthcare associated infections including MRSA' in June 2006. This tool will help to reduce infections; and
	a joint professional letter from the chief medical officer and the chief nursing officer went out to national health service trusts in December 2005 reminding them of the importance of this infection and listed the key actions to control  Clostridium difficle and highlighted the guidance available(1, 2). Copies of the letter have been placed in the Library and it is also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/ProfessionalLetters/ChiefMedicalOfficerLetters/ChiefMedicalOfficerLettersArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4125069chk=cuQ7C%2B
	In addition, we have asked the Health Protection Agency to review the extant guidance issued in 1994. This revised national guidance should be ready in the spring.
	All those providing health care services need high standards of hygiene to prevent infections. Specific measures to control  Clostridium difficile are restriction, where possible, of broad spectrum antibiotics, isolation of patients and enhanced environmental cleaning, all of these measures are most relevant to those providing in patient services.
	Copies of 'A simple guide to Clostridium difficile and the National Clostridium difficile Standards group: Report to the Department of Health' have been placed in the Library and are also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/HealthcareAcquiredInfection/HealthcareAcquiredGeneralInformation/HealthcareAcquiredGeneralArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4115800chk=wHehV/
	and
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/06/76/51/04067651.pdf
	(1) Clostridium Difficile Infection, Prevention and Management. A Report by a Department of Health/PHLS joint working group. 1994
	(2) Guidelines for optimal surveillance of  Clostridium difficile infection in hospitals Brazier JS and Duerden BI. Guidelines for optimal surveillance of  Clostridium difficile infection in hospitals. Comm.Dis.Pub.Health. 1998:1;(4) 229-230.

Clostridium Difficile

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of  Clostridium difficile were recorded in each primary care trust (PCT) area in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006; and how many people died in circumstances in which clostridium difficile was a significant cause of death in each PCT in each year.

Ivan Lewis: Since January 2004, all acute national health service trusts in England have been obliged to report all cases of  Clostridium difficile associated disease in patients aged 65 and over under the mandatory surveillance scheme. These data are not available by primary care trust.
	National, regional and individual trust data were published for the years 2004 and 2005 (the latest available data) in mandatory surveillance of healthcare associated infections report 2006 at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/MandSurvHCAI2006.pdf.
	Data for the number of death certificates mentioning  Clostridium difficile are not available for 2005 or 2006 yet.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to reply to the letter of 18 December 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. C. Tilson.

Ivan Lewis: The reply was sent on 25 January 2007.

Dental Services

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have withdrawn from NHS practice since the inception of the new NHS dentists' contract in each primary care trust area.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Departmental Fixed Assets

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which fixed assets her Department sold for more than 10,000 in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and what the (i) sale value, (ii) purchaser and (iii) date of sale was of each asset.

Andy Burnham: The information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Land sales from the Department's retained estate 2004-05 
			  Property  Sale value (000)  Purchaser  Date of sale 
			 18 Bryon Road, Redditch 147 Mr. and Mrs. Taylor January 2005 
			 21/23 Coulter Lane, Burntwood 300 S. Darlington March 2005 
			 7 Wells Lane Terrace, Cheddleton 61 Privatelink Ltd March 2005 
			 Land at Mickledale Lane, Bilsthorpe 20 Primary Health Investments Ltd October 2004 
			 317 Mansfield Road, Nottingham 281 Corrington Private Day Nursery May 2004 
			 Watling Street Clinic, Bishop Auckland 75 New College, Durham August 2004 
			 Land at Burnhill Way, Newton Aycliffe 105 Broseley Homes July 2004 
			 Land at Newton Aycliffe hospital 10 Wimpey Homes December 2004 
			 Gables and land, Winterton, Sedgefield 500 Durham CC April 2004 
			 7 Springfield Street, Warrington 187 Andrea McKay and Associates November 2004 
			 113 Coldharbour Road, Sherbourne 132 N. Denison and J. McLoughlin April 2004 
			 Holsworthy Ambulance Station and Health Centre 200 Devon CC May 2004 
			 Part Western hospital, Crediton 143 K. Hotton January 2005 
			 Land at Hanham Hall, Hanham 147 South Gloucestershire council February 2005 
			 Waterside Surgery (freehold reversion) 25 Dr. Greaves and Partners March 2005 
			 Land at Lord Mayor Treloar, Alton 369 Drs. Quincey, Sword, White and Over June 2004 
			 10 Gunn Street, Reading 476 Property Development and Rental Ltd June 2004 
			 Land at Langney, Eastbourne 202 BO Hastings Ltd November 2004 
			 Land at St Ebba's, Epsom 75 Riding for Disabled January 2005 
			 St Ebba's Cottage, Epsom 250 Rosewell Properties Ltd March 2005 
			 Land at Joyce Green, Dartford 1,225 Dartford BC March 2005 
			 Warley Lodge, Warley 400 J. Brady July 2004 
		
	
	
		
			  Land sales from the Department's retained estate 2005-06 
			  Property  Sale value (000)  Purchaser  Date of sale 
			 Land at Princess Royal, Telford 45.5 Shropshire and Mid-Wales Hospice May 2005 
			 St. Margarets, Walsall 13,250 Bovis Homes Ltd February 2006 
			 St.Crispin's Social Club, Northampton 20 St. Crispin's Social Club February 2006 
			 Land at Tower's hospital, Leicester 1,816 Taylor Woodrow December 2005 
			 1/3 Nightingale Close, Mulbarton 230 S. and J. Grady March 2006 
			 High Royd's, Menston 27,230 Raven Group October 2005 
			 Killingbeck, Leeds 18,770 Shepherd Homes April 2005 
			 Land at Neville Drive, Sedgefield 3,000 McInerney Homes Feb06 
			 30 Windermere Gardens, Gateshead 75 Newcastle and Whitby Housing Trust February 2006 
			 St. Oswald's Hospice, Newcastle 900 St. Oswald's Hospice April 2005 
			 New Lodge, Whittingham 94 Mr. and Mrs. Faulkener August 2005 
			 Middleton hospital, Ilkley 275 Middleton Construction Ltd August 2005 
			 10 Mayroyd Avenue, Tolworth 189 J. Muscat March 2006 
			 47 Gainsborough Road, Epsom 122 J. Muscat March 2006 
			 Conolly House, Napsbury 1,245 Osman Mehmar Ltd March 2006 
			 Colvend, Napsbury 495 P Alien and S Munoz March 2006 
			 121 Cranleigh Mead, Cranleigh 117 Mrs. Denton-Miller September 2005 
			 19 Netherne Lane, Coulsdon 144 J. Muscat March 2006 
			 24 Park Road, Maidstone 118 Regis Group (Nationwide) Ltd March 2006 
			 40 Park Road, Maidstone 115 Regis Group (Nationwide) Ltd March 2006 
			 46 Park Road, Maidstone 128 S. and G. Johnson March 2006 
			 2 Brambletye Park Road, Redhill 164 J. Muscat March 2006 
			 Land at Joyce Green, Dartford 1,225 Dartford BC March 2006 
			 Queen Elizabeth hospital, Banstead 5,900 Try Homes Ltd April 2005 
			 Silverlands, Chertsey 3,700 Astor Care Limited May 2005 
			 Bungalow, Woodplace Lane, Coulsdon 189 D Kennedy April 2005 
			 Glenside, Bristol 5,250 University of West of England December 2005 
		
	
	
		
			  Retained estateportfolio transfer to English Partnerships in 2005-06 for total sum of 280 million 
			 Land at Heath Close, Billericay Coach House, Kingsworthy 
			 Land adjoining Reckett House, Clacton Renny Lodge, Newport Pagnell 
			 Part Severalls hospital site, Colchester Stretton Hall Farmland, Oadby 
			 Turner Village, Colchester Ashover House, Lincoln 
			 Land at St Mary's Axminster Carey House, Skegness 
			 Cashes Green hospital, Stroud Derby City Chest Clinic, Derby 
			 St. Leonards, Ringwood Barnsley Hall Land, Bromsgrove 
			 Tiverton District hospital, Tiverton Land at the Limes, Himley 
			 Belmont hospital, Tiverton Part Lea Castle hospital, Kidderminster 
			 Newfoundland Court, Bristol Ledbury Cottage hospital, Ledbury 
			 Brunei House, Gloucester Smallwood, Redditch 
			 Cottages 1 to 5, Herrison Royal ShrewsburySouth 
			 Lower Farm Buildings, Herrison Land at Chemsley, Solihull 
			 Sewer Field, Herrison Hanham Hall, Bristol Land at Middlefield, Knowle 
			 Part Countess of Chester, Chester Land at Bucknall, Bucknall 
			 Whittingham, Preston Mabledon, Dartford 
			 Winwick Farm, Warrington Alpha House, Droxford 
			 Winwick Social Club, Warrington Part St Ebbas, Epsom 
			 Land at Lancaster Moor, Lancaster Horton Farm, Epsom 
			 Homelands hospital, Crook Retail Centre site, Horton, Epsom 
			 Killingworth Stores, Killingworth Part West Park hospital, Epsom 
			 Maiden Law hospital, Durham Part Coldeast hospital, Fareham 
			 Part St Georges hospital, Morpeth Knowle hospital, Wickham 
			 Land at Aycliffe hospital, Newton Aycliffe Land at St Francis hospital, Haywards Heath 
			 Birney Hill Farm, Ponteland Leybourne Grange, Maidstone 
			 Stannington Children's hospital, Stannington Linton hospital, Maidstone 
			 Ashington General hospital, Ashington Part Milford hospital, Milford 
			 Part Shotley Bridge hospital, Consett Land at Royal Earlswood, Redhill 
			 Tindale Crescent, Bishop Auckland Land at Hill House, Rye 
			 Hull Maternity hospital, Hull Sheppey hospital, Sheppey 
			 Land at Seacroft hospital, Leeds Part Southlands hospital, Shoreham 
			 Part Wharfdale hospital, Otley Hazel Farm, Southampton 
			 Land at Springfield, Grimsby Land at St Johns hospital, Stone 
			 Scartho Hall, Grimsby Part Tatchbury hospital, Calmore 
			 Scartho Hallsite opposite, Grimsby Fair Mile hospital, Cholsey 
			 Land at Norton Aerodrome, Sheffield Land at Celsea Place, Cholsey 
			 Lord Mayor Treloar, Alton Unit 7 Merlin Court, Aylesbury 
			 Park Prewett, Basingstoke Beaumont Villa, Northampton 
			 St. Augustines, Chartham Land at The Crescent and The Downs, Chartham

Health Expenditure

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to increase spending for Hartlepool Primary Care Trust  (a) to match and  (b) to exceed the English average for spending per capita for primary care trusts.

Andy Burnham: The 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations made to primary care trusts (PCTs) totalled 135 billion, 64 billion to PCTs in 2006-07 and 70 billion in 2007-08. Over the two years covered by this allocation PCTs will receive an average increase of 19.5 per cent.
	Hartlepool PCT received allocations of 131.9 million in 2006-07 and will receive 144.2 million in 2007-08. These represent a cash increase of 23.7 million or 19.7 per cent. over the two years, compared to a national average of 19.5 per cent.
	Hartlepool PCT already receives a higher allocation per capita than the average for England. Hartlepool PCT received an unweighted allocation per head of 1,464 in 2006-07 compared to an England average of 1,274. In 2007-08, the PCT will receive an unweighted allocation per head of 1,600 compared to an England average of 1,388.

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute mental health beds were available in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 February 2007
	This information is shown in the table. The reduction in mental health bed numbers reflects the increasing provision by the national health service in England of treatment for patients with mental health conditions in primary care and community settings, without the need for hospital admissions.
	
		
			   Average daily number of beds available for acute mental health services in the NHS in England 
			 1996-97 37,640 
			 1997-98 36,601 
			 1998-99 35,692 
			 1999-2000 34,173 
			 2000-01 34,214 
			 2001-02 32,783 
			 2002-03 32,753 
			 2003-04 32,252 
			 2004-05 31,286 
			 2005-06 29,802 
			  Source: Department of Health form KH03

Mentally Ill: Homicide

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which reports addressing homicides by mentally ill patients her Department produced in each of the last 20 years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 February 2007
	In the last 20 years, the Department commissioned the National Confidential Inquiry into Homicide and Suicide by People with Mental Illness to produce two reports relating to homicides by people in touch with mental health services. These are Safety First, which was published in 1999, and Safer Services, which was published in 2001. The third report of the National Confidential Inquiry, Avoidable Deaths, was commissioned by the National Patient Safety Agency and published under the auspices of the Centre for Suicide Prevention at the University of Manchester in 2006.
	Independent investigation of homicides committed by someone in touch with mental health services were commissioned by the relevant local health authority and are now commissioned by the relevant strategic health authority. Between 1994 and 2005, these were commissioned under Health Service Guideline 94(27). Since June 2005, such investigations have been commissioned in line with revised guidance entitled Independent investigation of adverse events in mental health services. The Department does not routinely collect the reports of such inquires which remain the property of the commissioning authorities.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department is funding on myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Ivan Lewis: The Department is supporting a range of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) research within the national health service, some of which receives external funding from charities including the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Research Foundation. On top of this, the Medical Research Council is currently funding two trials into various treatment options for CFS/ME and has also awarded two relevant epidemiological grants.

NHS: Administration

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on NHS administrative staff in each year since 1990.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is set out in the following table as shown.
	
		
			  Administrative staff costs (excluding non-NHS staff) 
			million 
			 1991-92 1,768 
			 1992-93 2,003 
			 1993-94 2,174 
			 1994-95 2,299 
			 1995-96 2,432 
			 1996-97 2,600 
			 1997-98 2,678 
			 1998-99 2,817 
			 1999-2000 3,043 
			 2000-01 3,348 
			 2001-02 3,775 
			 2002-03 4,294 
			 2003-04 4,778 
			 2004-05 5,332 
			 2005-06 5,669 
			  Notes: 1. Totals include administrative and clerical staff and managers. 2. Data in this format are not available before 1991-92. Totals for 2004-05 and 2005-06 exclude NHS Foundation Trusts as foundation trusts do not provide this level of detail. Figures for 2004-05 and 2005-06 include costs of pension indexation which are not included in previous years.  Source: Annual Financial Returns for Primary Care Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities and NHS Trusts for 1991-92 to 2005-06

NHS: Finance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government funding was given to the NHS in each year since 1990; and how much was spent by the NHS in each year.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows the total national health service expenditure for each year since 1990the outturn position (this is what was spent by the NHS); and Government funding given to the NHS in each year (this is inferred by adding the reported surplus/deficit position for each year to the outturn position).
	
		
			  NHS total expenditure: England1990-91 to 2005-06, overall NHS surplus/deficit position 
			   million 
			   Overall NHS surplus deficit( 1)  Net NHS expenditure( 2)  (estimated outturn in 2005-06)  Government funding given to the NHS calculated by summing outturn to overall NHS surplus deficit position 
			  Cash( 3)
			 1990-91 125 22,326 22,201 
			 1991-92 103 25,353 25,456 
			 1992-93 53 27,968 28,021 
			 1993-94(4) 130 28,942 29,071 
			 1994-95 25 30,590 30,615 
			 1995-96 250 31,985 31,735 
			 1996-97 460 32,997 32,537 
			 1997-98 122 34,664 34,542 
			 1998-99 19 36,608 36,589 
			 
			  Resource budgeting stage 1( 5)
			 1999-2000 129 40,201 40,072 
			 2000-01 111 43,932 44,043 
			 2001-02 71 49,021 49,092 
			 2002-03 96 54,042 54,138 
			 
			  Resource budgeting stage 2( 6,7)
			 2003-04 73 64,184 64,257 
			 2004-05(8) 258 69,308 69,050 
			 2005-06(9) 547 76,339 75,792 
			 (1) Deficit figures for 1990-91 to 1995-96 are from the relevant published summarised accounts. Deficit figures for 1996-97 to 2004-05 are from audited summarisation schedules. (2) Figures are not consistent over the period (1971-72 to 2007-08), therefore it is difficult to make comparisons across different periods. (3) Expenditure pre 1999-2000 is on a cash basis, however overall NHS surplus/deficit position has been calculated from individual organisation accounts on a resource basis. Therefore, have assumed equivalence between cash and resources for these years. (4) Deficit excludes 171 million adjustment for change in policy for payment of PDC dividends. (5) Expenditure figures from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 are on a stage 1 resource budgeting basis. (6) Expenditure figures from 2003-04 to 2007-08 are on a stage 2 resource budgeting basis. (7) Figures from 2003-04 include a technical adjustment for trust depreciation. (8) Includes a technical adjustment in 2004-05 for provisions of -1,497 million. (9) Total deficit is provisional and excludes foundation trusts.

NHS: Practice Based Commissioning

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on progress in implementing practice based commissioning.

Andy Burnham: At the end of December 2006, all primary care trusts had put in place the arrangements to support practice based commissioning. In addition, 7,849 general practitioner practices out of 8,433 (93 per cent.) had taken up an incentive payment to participate in practice based commissioning.
	The foundations for successful practice based commissioning have now been put in place and this year will focus on increased clinical engagement and service redesign to deliver better services for patients.

NHS: Reorganisation

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on NHS reorganisation in each of the last 10 years.

Andy Burnham: This information is not available centrally.

Nurse-Family Partnerships

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when applicants for nurse-family partnerships will be informed of whether they have been successful.

Ivan Lewis: We were very pleased to receive 63 applications for testing a health-led parenting support programme in England.
	We have identified 10 pilot sites to lead this work and will formally notify them and the unsuccessful applicants very shortly.

Open Source Software

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of her Department's computer systems use open source software; what percentage of the systems planned to be installed use such software; and whether she plans to increase the use of open source software in her Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not hold specific information on the use of open source software within the Department but has identified one system involving library services that utilises open source components in its implementation.
	The Department is currently reviewing the tools and technologies that it uses to support the delivery of the business. As part of that review consideration will be given to the use of open source tools alongside other proprietary tools and technologies.
	When considering the implementation of any solution, the Department will continue to consider open source solutions on an overall value for money basis in accordance with the Government's 2004 policy statement.

Orthopaedics

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to reach agreement with orthopaedic hospitals on a national tariff structure for specialist treatments.

Andy Burnham: The payment by results tariff for 2007-08 has been agreed and was published on 11 December 2006. This includes arrangements for specialised treatments.
	We have an on-going dialogue with specialist services providers and member of the Specialist Orthopaedic Alliance, with the aim of agreeing more sustainable solutions for 2008-09 and beyond.
	The Department will publish a consultation soon on the future of payment by results, which will explore ways of developing future tariffs and expanding payment by results to reflect specialist treatments.

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made on Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust's application for foundation status.

Andy Burnham: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership National Health Service Trust is preparing to submit an application for NHS foundation trust (NHSFT) status by the end of April 2007. Subject to receiving the Secretary of State's support, the trust may then apply to Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) to be considered for authorisation as a NHSFT by autumn 2007.

Patients' Forums

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments have been made by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health to the National Voices Project being sponsored by her Department; and what progress the Commission has made in each year since its inception towards establishing a national network of patients' forums.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 February 2007
	We understand the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) has made 20,000 available to the National Voices Project.
	Since establishing patients' forums in 2003, CPPIH has continued to provide the support necessary to enable patients' forums to deliver their roles and responsibilities. The support CPPIH provides is of an ongoing nature and not based on an annual programme.

Recruitment

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2007,  Official Report, column 148, on recruitment, what the evidential basis is for the statement that 16,000 people completed training last year; and if she will place in the Library the results of the survey from which the statement that 60 per cent. of graduates have found jobs was derived.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has collected data from strategic health authorities on the employment position of graduates in 2006. The table shows the number of graduates who completed training between May 2006 and September 2006 and the estimated number who had secured a post by 30 November 2006.
	
		
			  Employment position of graduates completing training, May 2006 to September 2006 
			   Number completing training May 2006 to September 2006  Number estimated to have found jobs as at 30 November 2006  Percentage of graduates estimated to have found work 
			 Nurses 11,220 7,005 62.4 
			 Midwives 1,030 682 66.2 
			 All allied health professionals 4,436 2,792 62.9 
			  of which:
			 physiotherapists 1,619 630 38.9 
			 Total 16,686 10,479 62.8 
			  Source: SHA returns, November 2006.

Recruitment Agencies

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department paid to recruitment agencies for the hire of temporary staff in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In the years where information is available, the costs of agency staff are shown in the table.
	
		
			
			 2004-05 12,507,092 
			 2005-06 12,186,224

Strokes

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's stroke strategy.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is currently working with expert project groups to develop a national stroke strategy to be published for consultation in the summer. As part of this process, we are investigating methods of evaluating stroke services and measuring improvements. We have already issued a tool to help local service providers assess their current effectiveness and to demonstrate how their services can be improved.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Act of Union

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union.

David Lammy: The 300th anniversary of the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 2007 is being marked by a commemorative 2 coin, as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Parliament on 15 June 2006.
	The Department currently has no plans to mark the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union between England and Scotland.

Casinos

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contingency planning her Department has conducted to meet the possibility that the casino pilot scheme is assessed as  (a) unsuccessful and  (b) of detrimental social impact.

Richard Caborn: We will undertake an assessment of the social and economic impact of the new casinos permitted by the Gambling Act 2005 no earlier than three years after the award of the first licence. If it becomes clear that the casinos are causing an increase in problem gambling, there are extensive powers under the Gambling Act 2005 to enable action to be taken.

Cricket

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what her estimate is of  (a) the number of amateur cricket clubs in England and  (b) the number of playing members belonging to such clubs' (i) adult and (ii) junior sections;
	(2)  how much the English Cricket Board spent on providing services for amateur cricket clubs in 2005-06; and what proportion of the board's total budget this represented.

Richard Caborn: Sport England does not hold the information requested. The hon. Member may wish to direct his query to the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Culture Online

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1594W, on Culture Online, if she will break down the number of hits by website.

David Lammy: Hits to Culture Online's project websites for the period January to December 2006 are set out as follows. Projects not included in the list did not record statistics for hits.
	
		
			   Number 
			 ArtisanCam 4,294,050 
			 Every Object Tells A Story (1)3,918,968 
			 Film Street 3,282,973 
			 Headline History 12,403,902 
			 Icons 97,035,864 
			 MyArtSpace (2)1,273,606 
			 Rosetta Requiem 235,158 
			 SoundJunction 8,260,131 
			 Stagework 2,290,630 
			 The Dark (3)8,800 
			 (1) April to October 2006. (2) February to October 2006. (3) January 2006.

Departmental Contracts

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which public affairs firms were given contracts by  (a) her Department and  (b) public bodies sponsored by her Department in each of the last five years; and what the purpose was of each contract.

David Lammy: In relation to public affairs firms:
	 (a) DCMS has not awarded any such contracts.
	 (b) DCMS has over 60 sponsored bodies or Executive Agencies and the figures for them could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on the recruitment of  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has paid the following amounts on the recruitment of permanent staff in each year since 1997:
	
		
			
			 1997-98 68,151 
			 1998-99 63,522 
			 1999-2000 63,522 
			 2000-01 23,359 
			 2001-02 27,079 
			 2002-03 115,369 
			 2003-04 70,786 
			 2004-05 34,931 
			 2005-06 130,980 
		
	
	These figures include both the costs of advertisements and agency fees for executive search and selection.
	For temporary staff, the Department pays an agency for the work done by temporary staff only and pays no recruitment costs.

Departmental Expenditure

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many temporary staff were employed by her Department as a result of recruitment by recruitment agencies in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport employs temporary agency staff on the basis of a booking that can last from as little as one day to many months. The number of individual bookings in the years for which centrally held information is available is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 86 
			 2004-05 89 
			 2003-04 106 
			 2002-03 86 
			 2001-02 92 
		
	
	The information for earlier years is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Racism in Football

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department provides towards campaigns to prevent racism in football.

Richard Caborn: The Government provide funding for projects to prevent racism in football through the Football Foundation, the UK's largest sports charity.
	Since its launch in July 2000 the Foundation has funded nine anti-racism projects worth in excess of 2.5 million, 32 black and minority ethnic community schemes worth 6 million, four projects worth over 800,000 for asylum or refugee groups and a project for traveller communities worth over 200,000.

International Gambling Summit

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which countries have written to confirm their agreement with the communiqu produced as a result of her Department's international summit on remote gambling.

Richard Caborn: The following jurisdictions have signalled their agreement to the summit communiqu (those identified with an asterisk did so in writing):
	Alderney*
	Antigua and Barbuda*
	Belgium*
	Costa Rica
	Czech Republic
	Estonia*
	Finland
	Gibraltar*
	Greece
	Guernsey*
	Hungary
	Ireland
	Isle of Man*
	Jersey*
	Latvia
	Lithuania*
	Malta
	Netherlands Antilles*
	Poland*
	Slovakia*
	South Africa
	United Kingdom.
	No attendee jurisdiction has refused to signal agreement.
	In addition, the following jurisdictions were observers:
	Australia
	Germany
	Japan
	The Netherlands
	New Zealand
	Quebec (Canada)
	Singapore
	Spain
	Sweden.

Casino Solihull

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when an estimate will be made of the potential number of people who might require treatment for gambling addiction arising from the development of a large casino in Solihull.

Richard Caborn: The Government will undertake an assessment of the social and economic impact of the new casinos no earlier than three years after the award of the first licence. This will look specifically at whether the introduction of the new casino has led to an increase in problem gambling. Solihull's application to the panel included details of how it proposed to monitor and mitigate problem gambling arising from a new casino.

National Lottery

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by the Heritage Lottery Fund in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: Since 1997, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has spent the following:
	
		
			  Financial Year  Expenditure ( million)( 1) 
			 1997-98 133 
			 1998-99 196 
			 1999-2000 277 
			 2000-01 290 
			 2001-02 262 
			 2002-03 265 
			 2003-04 324 
			 2004-05 308 
			 2005-06 374 
			 (1) Rounded to nearest  million. 
		
	
	To date, the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded more than 3.6 billion to over 22,000 projects. This has funded the broadest range of the UK's heritage, including buildings, museums, natural heritage and the heritage of cultural traditions and language.
	The Government guarantee to preserve the heritage good cause's share of (non-Olympic) lottery proceeds until 2019, extending the previous guarantee by 10 years.

National Lottery

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how funding from the National Lottery was granted to schemes in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1997, broken down by awarding body; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: My Department does not record information about awards or expenditure by national lottery distributors categorised in the form asked for by the hon. Member. However, details of individual grants, supplied by each lottery distributor, can be found on the Department's lottery grants database, searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk

National Lottery

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under which category of award National Lottery grants have been awarded to groups promoting non-violence and peace.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold the specific information in the format requested. However, such groups would feasibly be eligible to apply for funding under all the lottery good causes. We understand a number of these groups have been awarded grants by the Big Lottery Fund.

DAB Transmitters

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many new DAB digital radio transmitters were built in the period  (a) 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004,  (b) 1st January to 31 December 2005 and  (c) 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2006; and what the location is of each transmitter built in each period in Scotland.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of new DAB transmitters 
			  (a) 2004 58 
			  (b) 2005 33 
			  (c) 2006 30 
		
	
	In 2004, six new DAB transmitters commenced a service in Scotland. These were at Mounteagle (Inverness), Craigkelly (Edinburgh), Durris (Aberdeen), Meldum (North Aberdeenshire), Kirkton Mailer (Perth) and Darvel (Kilmarnock). Additionally a transmitter came into service at Sandale, near Carlisle, which serves Dumfrieshire as well as Cumbria.
	No new DAB transmitters came into service in Scotland in either 2005 or 2006.
	Responsibility for transmitters (including building) rests with the broadcasters themselves.

Stonehenge

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with  (a) English Heritage,  (b) the National Trust and  (c) HM Treasury on the future of the Stonehenge visitors centre; and what was discussed.

David Lammy: Over the past year my Department has had numerous discussions with English Heritage and the National Trust on the published options for improvements to the A303 past Stonehenge and the impact of the options under review on the planned English Heritage visitor centre. Additionally, English Heritage was a member of the inter-departmental review group that reported to Ministers on the options for improvements to the A303 the findings of which will be announced in due course. There has been no discussion between my Department and HM Treasury on the visitor centre in the past year.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Lavatories

Mark Tami: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, when he expects the maintenance work and refurbishment of the lavatories on the fifth floor of Norman Shaw north to be completed.

Nick Harvey: The two lavatories currently being refurbished will be completed on 9 February 2007 and work on the remaining two will begin immediately and be completed within a month.

Restaurants

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many House dining rooms have been booked by  (a) the United and Cecil Club,  (b) hon. Members' patrons clubs,  (c) Churchill clubs and  (d) Portcullis clubs in the last three years.

Nick Harvey: In the three years from February 2004 to January 2007, events have taken place in the House of Commons private dining rooms for  (a) the United and Cecil club on 15 occasions,  (b) hon. Members' patrons clubs on 16 occasions,  (c) Churchill clubs on seven occasions, and  (d) Portcullis clubs on 20 occasions.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Homosexual Adoption

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many adoption agencies in Northern Ireland are allowed to exclude homosexual couples from their services through reference to their charitable instrument.

Paul Goggins: Under Northern Ireland adoption legislation, only married couples and single persons, regardless of sexual orientation, may adopt. The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 make it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services, education and public functions.

Alcohol Misuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting time is in Northern Ireland for people with an alcohol addiction for an appointment with a psychiatric nurse.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available.

Alcohol Misuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding is available in Northern Ireland for  (a) treatment of people with alcohol addiction and  (b) families coping with alcohol addiction.

Paul Goggins: The current funding for addiction and support services in Northern Ireland does not distinguish between alcohol and drug dependency, and similarly details of funding for families coping with alcohol addiction are not held centrally. However in 2005-06 12,135,796 was spent on alcohol and drug addiction services across Northern Ireland, which would include work with families coping with addictions.

Hearing Assessments

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1204W, on Audiology, if he will provide a break down by health  (a) trust and  (b) board area of the numbers of patients in the Province awaiting hearing assessment or reassessment.

Paul Goggins: Information is collected centrally on the number of people waiting for a hearing aid assessment/re-assessment to be completed at the end of each quarter, according to specific time bands. Waiting time is counted from the date a referral is received by the Audiology Department until the aid is fitted. The latest information on the number of persons waiting for a hearing assessment/re-assessment is shown in the following table.
	At 31 March 2006, 2,184 patients aged 18 and over were waiting for hearing aid assessments/re-assessments to be completed. No patients aged under 18 were waiting at this date.
	
		
			  Number of patients waiting for a hearing assessment/re-assessment at 31 march 2006, by health trust and board( 1,2) 
			  Trust/hospital  Less than 3 months  3-6 months  6-12 months  12 months or more  All adults waiting 
			 Royal Hospital(2) 59 2 350 0 411 
			 Belfast City Hospital 90 58 108 22 278 
			 Mater Hospital 0 148 0 0 148 
			  EHSSB  149  208  458  22  837 
			   
			 Causeway/United Hospitals 35 29 0 0 64 
			  NHSSB  35  29  0  0  64 
			   
			 South Tyrone Hospital 85 87 191 63 426 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital 114 45 193 27 379 
			 Daisy Hill Hospital 87 51 0 0 138 
			  SHSSB  286  183  384  90  943 
			   
			 Altnagelvin 38 0 0 0 38 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 55 0 247 0 302 
			  WHSSB  93  0  247  0  340 
			   
			  Northern Ireland  563  420  1,089  112  2,184 
			 (1)The information in the table is based on where a client is treated and not necessarily where the client lives, i.e. a client from the Northern Board may be seen in the Royal Hospital and their details will be included in the Eastern Board. (2) For reasons of data protection and to protect the identity of the individual, information for Laganvalley, Royal Group of Hospitals, Ulster Community and Hospitals, and Downe Hospitals has been grouped.  Source: Community Information Branch return AUDI

Radiography

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when weekly monitoring of radiology waiting lists across all trusts in the Province is planned to commence.

Paul Goggins: My Department commenced weekly monitoring of radiology waiting lists across all trusts in January 2007. This information allows us to monitor not only the number of patients waiting for radiology tests but also the length of time they have been waiting.
	I have set a target that no patient should be waiting longer than 13 weeks for any diagnostic test by March 2008. My Department will use the weekly monitoring information described above to ensure that satisfactory progress is made towards this target.

Benefits Fraud

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been prosecuted for benefit fraud on more than one occasion in the last five years.

David Hanson: A total of nine people in Northern Ireland have been prosecuted for benefit fraud on more than one occasion in the last five years

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will instruct the Deputy Governor of Bermuda to place on the agenda of the defence board proposals to end the disparity of recruitment practices to the Royal Bermuda regiment based on gender.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no such plans. Recruitment practices are based on prevailing Bermuda law, and applied fairly within it.

Burma

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to help protect human rights in Burma.

Ian McCartney: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office identifies Burma as a country of concern in our 2006 Annual Report on Human Rights. The Government's policy is to promote full respect for human rights in Burma encouraging rule of law, democracy and good governance, and the freedom of association and speech in accordance with international human rights law.
	We have been at the forefront of international efforts over many years to bring pressure to bear on the military regime to re-establish democracy and to respect human rights. We take every opportunity to raise human rights issues with the regime and remind them of their obligations to adhere to international human rights law. Our embassy in Rangoon also delivers capacity building assistance through our Global Opportunity Fund in support of these objectives.
	I have raised the human rights situation regularly with the Burmese regime and other Governments in the region. On 16 June 2006,1 called in the Burmese ambassador and on 5 July 2006 I wrote to the Burmese Foreign Minister, highlighting our many concerns. On 18 September 2006, I raised the serious human rights situation with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) ambassadors, including the Burmese ambassador, and on 4 December 2006 with the ASEAN Secretary-General. I have also raised Burma with the Governments of China, India, Japan, Thailand and South Korea. I have discussed the human rights abuses taking place in Burma with Juan Mendez, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. I discussed Burma in detail with Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, on 15 November 2006, following his visit to the country.
	In addition, our ambassador in Rangoon regularly raises human rights with the regime, most recently when he met the Burmese Ministers for Planning and Immigration and the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister on 5 January.
	The UK works closely with the EU and other international partners, including the UN and ASEAN, to promote human rights in Burma, and fully supports the efforts of the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Professor Sergio Pinheiro.
	We fully support all action in the UN, including in the Security Council, which helps to promote reform and positive change in Burma.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what powers the Government have to stop foreign companies from using British overseas territories to channel investment into Burma.

Geoff Hoon: Companies operating in a British overseas territory have to comply with the laws of the territory. All of the British overseas territories have legislation which prohibits investment or the provision of financial services to certain Burmese state-owned enterprises as listed in the annex to the EU common position.

Burma

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Government of Burma on the treatment of the Christian community in Burma.

Ian McCartney: We have not made recent representations to the Burmese Government specifically about the treatment of the Christian community in Burma.
	However, I have raised the human rights situation regularly with the Burmese regime and other governments in the region. On 16 June 2006, I called in the Burmese ambassador and on 5 July 2006 I wrote to the Burmese Foreign Minister, highlighting our many concerns, including the freedom to express religious belief. On 18 September 2006, I raised the serious human rights situation with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) ambassadors, including the Burmese ambassador, and on 4 December 2006 with the ASEAN Secretary-General. I have also raised Burma with the Governments of China, India, Japan, Thailand and South Korea. I have discussed the human rights abuses taking place in Burma with Juan Mendez, the United Nations special adviser on the prevention of genocide. I discussed Burma in detail with Ibrahim Gambari, the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, on 15 November 2006, following his visit to the country.
	In addition, our ambassador in Rangoon regularly raises human rights with the regime, most recently when he met the Burmese Ministers for Planning and Immigration and the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister on 5 January.
	On 24 January, I met representatives from the Chin and Kachin ethnic groups in Burma to discuss the many difficulties faced by their respective communities, including violations of their religious freedoms.

Columbian Detainees

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations her Department has made to the Colombian government on the detention of Samuel Morales and Raquel Castro.

Geoff Hoon: Our Embassy in Bogota has regularly asked the Colombian Government for information on the legal case against Samuel Morales and Raquel Castro since they were first arrested in 2004. We have impressed on the Colombian authorities that both must be afforded their full human rights while in detention. On 9 November 2006, they were found guilty of rebellion by the criminal judiciary circuit of Saravena and sentenced to six years imprisonment and fined approximately 10,000. The long period of time between the trial and sentencing was due to the large quantity of cases currently overloading the Colombian judicial system.
	Human rights are at the heart of our policy. We keep the human rights situation in Colombia under constant review, and regularly raise specific cases with the Government of Colombia.

Embassy Closures

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK  (a) embassies and  (b) consulates have closed since May 1997.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has closed eight embassies, five high commissions, and 18 consulates since May 1997. Operations were also suspended at our embassy in Abidjan in April 2005 owing to the security situation there.
	During the same period, the FCO opened seven embassies, four embassy offices, one office and six consulates. Three consulates were also upgraded to embassies.
	The FCO continuously reviews the deployment of its resources and aligns them flexibly in line with UK interests to the benefit of the British taxpayer.
	
		
			  Details of missions closed since 1997-98 
			  April to March  Country  Post name  Status  Closed  Temp closed 
			 1997-98 Colombia Barranquilla BC 1  
			 1997-98 Switzerland Zurich BCG 1  
			 1998-99 Malaysia Kuching BC 1  
			 1998-99 Thailand Chiang Mai BC 1  
			 1999-2000 USA Cleveland BC 1  
			 2000-01 Spain Seville BC 1  
			 2003-04 Mali Bamako(1) Embassy 1  
			 2003-04 El Salvador San Salvador Embassy 1  
			 2003-04 Honduras Tegucigalpa Embassy 1  
			 2003-04 Nicaragua Managua Embassy 1  
			 2004-05 Cameroon Douala BC 1  
			 2004-05 Portugal Oporto BC 1  
			 2005-06 Lesotho Maseru BHC 1  
			 2005-06 Madagascar Antananarivo Embassy 1  
			 2005-06 Swaziland Mbabane BHC 1  
			 2005-06 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan Embassy 1  
			 2005-06 Bahamas Nassau BHC 1  
			 2005-06 Paraguay Asuncion Embassy 1  
			 2005-06 USA Dallas BC 1  
			 2005-06 USA San Juan (Puerto Rico) BC 1  
			 2005-06 Japan Fukuoka BC 1  
			 2005-06 Vanuatu Port Vila BHC 1  
			 2005-06 Germany Frankfurt BCG 1  
			 2005-06 Germany Stuttgart BCG 1  
			 2005-06 Yemen Aden BCG 1  
			 2005-06 Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan Embassy  1 
			 2005-06 Tonga Nuku' alofa BHC 1  
			 2006-07 Australia Adelaide BC 1  
			 2006-07 East Timor Dili(1) Embassy 1  
			 2006-07 Germany Hamburg BCG 1  
			 2006-07 Sweden Gothenberg BCG 1  
			 2006-07 USA Seattle BC 1  
			 Total31 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Details of missions opened since 1997-98 
			  April to March  Country  Post name  Status  Opened 
			 1997-98 Bosnia and Herzegovina Banja Luka BEO 1 
			 1999-2000 China Chongqing BCG 1 
			 1999-2000 Sweden Gothenburg BCG 1 
			 2000-01 Guinea Conakry BC 1 
			 2000-01 Mali Bamako(1) BC 1 
			 2000-01 Haiti Port-au-Prince BC 1 
			 2000-01 USA Denver BC 1 
			 2000-01 Serbia and Montenegro Pristina BO 1 
			 2000-01 Libya Tripoli Embassy 1 
			 2001-02 Afghanistan Kabul Embassy 1 
			 2001-02 Korea DPR Pyongyang Embassy 1 
			 2001-02 Tajikistan Dushanbe Embassy 1 
			 2002-03 Moldova Chisinau Embassy 1 
			 2002-03 East Timor Dili(1) Embassy 1 
			 2004-05 Iraq Baghdad Embassy 1 
			 2004-05 Iraq Basra BCG 1 
			 2004-05 Iraq Kirkuk BEO 1 
			 2006-07 Kazakhstan Almaty(2) BEO 1 
			 Total18 
			 (1) Posts opened and closed during this period. (2) Office left in place after embassy relocation to Astana.  Note:  Key to abbreviations: BEBritish Embassy BEOBritish Embassy Office BHCBritish High Commission BOBritish Office BCGBritish Consulate General.

Falkland Islands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with  (a) the government in Port Stanley and  (b) her counterpart in Buenos Aires on the Falkland Islands' relations with Argentina.

Geoff Hoon: There is a close and continuing dialogue between the Government and Falkland Island Government on a wide range of issues including relations with Argentina, for which the Government have responsibility. In our frequent discussions with Argentina, the UK has made it clear that it values its relationship with Argentina and wants it to be as constructive and as positive as possible. The Government and Falkland Island Government are willing to consider closer co-operation with the Argentine Government on matters of mutual interest, provided it is understood that the issue of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and other UK overseas territories is not negotiable.

Horn of Africa and Sudan

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of her Department's officials met  (a) individuals and  (b) groups party to the conflicts in (i) the Horn of Africa and (ii) Sudan in London in the last 12 months; what the purpose was of each meeting; and which individuals were met in each case.

Ian McCartney: Officials meet frequently with many of the parties to the conflicts in the Horn of Africa and Sudan. We do not divulge the names of the officials involved in those meetings because it could be detrimental to the UK's ability to influence representatives of foreign Governments and other parties in resolving those conflicts.

Human Rights Monitoring

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how human rights monitoring is undertaken by overseas UK diplomatic missions and embassies.

Ian McCartney: UK diplomatic missions monitor a wide range of human rights issues around the world. Monitoring normally includes contacts with interested parties, including relevant parts of the Government of the country concerned, international organisations, relevant international and domestic civil society organisations, political contacts, faith groups and the media. Depending on the issues in a particular country, it might also include observation by embassy officials of trials, elections, prison conditions, policing methods, treatment of women or minority groups, or work with local human rights defenders. Posts also use reports of international organisations and non-governmental organisations.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report provides an overview of the main challenges to human rights around the world and the UK's activities and policies in response. The latest report was published on 12 October 2006. It can be found on the FCO website at: http://www.fco. gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1159199103169.
	Copies of the report are also available in the Library of the House.

Human Trafficking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on trafficked children being compelled to work harvesting cocoa beans; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We continue to be concerned about media reports of children trafficked into working in cocoa farms. We support international efforts, including the work of the International Labour Organisation, the governments concerned, the cocoa industry and civil society to eradicate these practices. The eradication of all the worst forms of child labour, as outlined in ILO convention 182, is one of our human rights priorities.
	In 2001, the UK discussed the working practices of the cocoa industry in West Africa with various bodies including manufacturers, retailers, non-governmental organisations and producer governments. We continue to monitor the situation and will make representations as necessary.

Iraq

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to visit Iraq in the near future.

Kim Howells: Foreign engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not our practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel.

Iraq

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many personnel from her Department are based in Kurdish north Iraq.

Kim Howells: There are three Foreign and Commonwealth officers based in Erbil.

Iraq

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regions of Iraq previously under British responsibility have been handed back to Iraqi control.

Kim Howells: Of the four Iraqi provinces originally under British control, two have now been handed over to Iraqi controlDhi Qar and Al Muthanna. The Iraqi Prime Minister has said that he hopes to have all provinces transferred to Iraqi control by November 2007.

Kenya

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will instigate a public inquiry into the conduct of the British colonial administration in Kenya during the 1950s emergency; what representations her Department has received on the treatment of Kenyans by the British colonial administration in this period from  (a) (i) governments and (ii) citizens of Kenya and  (b) others; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have no plans to instigate a public inquiry into events during the emergency period in the 1950s in Kenya. We have received no formal representations on this issue from other governments, Kenyan citizens or any other individuals. We have received correspondence on Mau Mau related issues from members of the public over the years, reflecting a wide range of views.
	I understand the strong feelings that the Mau Mau issue still creates in Kenya and elsewhere. The emergency period caused a great deal of pain for many on all sides and marred progress towards independence. It is regrettable this was not achieved without violence.
	We are looking to the future. The task now is to tackle today's challengesbuilding a strong and prosperous democracy in Kenya and fighting corruption and poverty.

Kenya

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Kenyan Government on  (a) compensation and  (b) an apology for those affected by torture and degrading treatment by the British colonial administration during the 1950s Kenyan emergency; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Kenyan Government have not raised these issues with us and we have had no discussions with them on the subject. The events surrounding the Mau Mau insurgency remain a deeply divisive issue within Kenya and one which historians continue to debate.
	The important issue now is for both our countries to look to the future and build on our existing strong partnership in the interests of Kenya's long-term development.

Kenya

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will issue an apology to the Kenyan victims of  (a) torture and  (b) victims of degrading treatment by the British colonial authorities during the 1950s Kenyan emergency; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: I understand the strong feelings that the Mau Mau issue still creates in Kenya and elsewhere. The events surrounding the Mau Mau insurgency remain a deeply divisive issue within Kenya and one which historians continue to debate. The emergency period caused a great deal of pain for many on all sides and marred progress towards independence. It is regrettable this was not achieved without violence.
	We are looking to the future. The task now is to tackle today's challengesbuilding a strong and prosperous democracy in Kenya and fighting corruption and poverty.

Kenya

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will offer compensation to those Kenyan victims of  (a) torture and  (b) degrading or inhuman treatment by the British colonial authorities during the 1950s Kenyan emergency; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Government have no plans to offer compensation to those affected by the events of the emergency period in Kenya in the 1950s.
	I understand the strong feelings that the Mau Mau issue still creates in Kenya and elsewhere. The emergency period caused a great deal of pain for many on all sides and marred progress towards independence. It is regrettable this was not achieved without violence.
	We are looking to the future. The task now is to tackle today's challengesbuilding a strong and prosperous democracy and fighting corruption and poverty.

Kenya

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of Kenyans unlawfully  (a) tortured,  (b) imprisoned,  (c) subjected to degrading and inhumane treatment and  (d) killed during the 1950s Kenyan emergency; what estimate she has made of the number who died as a result; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will make an estimate of the number of former colonial officials allegedly responsible for torture and deaths of Kenyans during the 1950s Kenyan emergency; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will make an estimate of the number of Kenyan women subjected to sexual abuse during the 1950s Kenyan emergency by British colonial officials and military personnel; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have made no estimates in relation to the alleged abuses outlined in my hon. Friend's questions. All records dating back to that period were either passed to the Kenyan Government at independence or have been subsequently transferred to the national archive in Kew.
	The emergency period in the 1950s was a very difficult period for all involved. We are now working with the Kenyan Government to tackle today's challengesbuilding a strong and prosperous democracy and fighting corruption and poverty in Kenya.

Kenya

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what records have been kept of the number of Kenyans who died of disease during their detention without trial during the Kenyan emergency of the 1950s; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what records have been kept of the extent to which the treatment of Kenyan detainees by the colonial administration during the 1950s Kenyan emergency was sanctioned by the British Government; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what records exist of the whereabouts of  (a) Dedan Kimathi and  (b) remains of Kenyan detainees hanged by the British colonial authorities during the Kenyan emergency in the 1950s; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what records exist of the regulations governing the running by the Colonial authorities of detention camps in Kenya during the 1950s Kenyan emergency; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: All records dating back to the emergency period in Kenya in the 1950s were either passed to the Kenyan Government at independence or have been subsequently transferred to the national archive in Kew.

Kenya and Somalia Border

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received on the Kenyan Government's decision to seal its border with Somalia.

Ian McCartney: We are aware of concerns about the possible impact on refugee flows of Kenya's decision to close its border with Somalia. We have raised this matter with the Kenyan authorities. While recognising Kenya's legitimate security concerns, we call on all states to comply with their international obligations to refugees.

Kuwait

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to visit Kuwait.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no immediate plans to visit Kuwait. The last ministerial visit to Kuwait was by me in November 2006.

Somalia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Transitional Government in Somalia on future security and the possible role of African Union forces.

Ian McCartney: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, spoke to President Yusuf of the Transitional Federal Government in Addis Ababa on 26 January about security and the role of African Union forces in Somalia. Senior officials in the region also have frequent contact with the Transitional Federal Government representatives on these issues.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has made representations to Sudan on accusations of sexual abuse perpetrated by its soldiers against children in the south of the country.

Ian McCartney: We are concerned by the incidence of sexual and physical abuse of children across Sudan reported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) earlier this month. We will continue to support UNICEF in its endeavours to tackle this issue with all elements of the Sudanese Government including the military. The UN-Government of Sudan task force to co-ordinate the fight against child abuse by military personnel and civilians, and follow up on allegations of exploitation, was established on 18 January. We will monitor its progress closely. We will also raise the fight against child abuse in Sudan with the UN special representative for children and armed conflict and UNICEF's deputy executive director during their visit to Sudan at the end of January.

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Ugandan authorities in the case of the 19 members of the people's redemption army in custody.

Ian McCartney: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) today (UIN 111877).

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the political situation in Uganda.

Ian McCartney: In February 2006 Uganda held its first multi-party elections in 25 years. The reintroduction of a multi-party system was an important achievement. However, there is still much to be done. It is essential that the Government and the Opposition parties continue to work together to embed the evolving multiparty democracy and ensure transparency. We have regular dialogue with the Ugandan authorities on these issues. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, met President Museveni most recently on 20 November 2006. I also refer my hon. Friend to the Westminster Hall Adjournment debate on Northern Uganda held on 23 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 442-50WH.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Ugandan Government on its refusal to release People Redemption Army suspects who have been granted bail by courts in Uganda; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (UIN 111877).

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of  (a) respect for the constitution,  (b) the independence of the judiciary,  (c) the rule of law and  (d) human rights in Uganda; what assessment she has made of the likely effect on stability in Uganda of the refusal of the authorities to release the 19 people's redemption army suspects on bail; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We are closely following the situation regarding the continued detention of the 19 people's redemption army suspects. The prison authorities were ordered to bring the individuals before the High Court on 25 January but the suspects were not produced. We are concerned about the implications of this on the independence of the judiciary and with regard to respect for human rights in Uganda. We call on all sides to abide by the constitution and to respect the rule of law.
	Our High Commissioner in Kampala expressed our concerns about the continued custody of the 19 PRA detainees when he met Foreign Minister Kutesa on 23 January.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) on 19 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 1409-10W and to the Westminster Hall Adjournment debate on Northern Uganda held on 23 January 2007, Official Report, columns 442-50WH.

United Nations

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with  (a) fellow UN members and  (b) UN officials on reform of the United Nations.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed a range of UN issues with Ban Ki-moon, the new UN Secretary-General, on 25 January. I and my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary and other senior Cabinet members also discussed UN reform issues with Mr. Ban during his visit to London in December 2006. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials maintain regular dialogue with UN member states and officials on reform issues.

United Nations

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on reform of the UN.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not held recent discussions with Secretary Rice on reform of the UN. However Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials maintain close contact with US partners on the issue.
	We share a common vision with the United States on the UN: we want to see continued momentum on reform of the organisation, to ensure it remains effective in addressing modern challenges of security, human rights and sustainable development.

United Nations

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her UN counterparts on the granting of permanent seats on the UN Security Council to other states.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not held recent discussions with her UN counterparts on reform of the UN Security Council. However, it is an issue that is raised with us regularly by UN partners.
	Our position is well known: the UK supports expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership of the Security Council, to make it more representative of today's world. We support the candidatures of Germany, Japan, India and Brazil for permanent seats on an enlarged Council, as well as permanent African representation. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister reiterated this, and called for renewed momentum to the debate on reform of the UN Security Council, in his speech at the world economic forum in Davos on 27 January.

Visas

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in how many visa application cases that were refused in the last 24 months the applicant has cited bad advice from British overseas missions.

Kim Howells: Reasons for refusals are explained to the applicant verbally and in writing. UKvisas do not keep central records regarding the grounds of appeal given by an applicant and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the UN on their future operations in the western Sahara; and whether there are plans for a referendum on the future political status of the western Sahara.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made representations to the UN about its future operations in western Sahara.
	The UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General, and his personal envoy to western Sahara, Peter Van Walsum, to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of western Sahara.
	On 31 October 2006, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted UN Security Council resolution 1720, which renewed the mandate for the UN Mission for the referendum in western Sahara until 30 April 2007. The Government supported this and will continue to encourage all parties to engage with the UN process. There are, however, no plans for a referendum to be held in the near future.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

14-19 Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress his Department has made towards the delivery of the 14-19 implementation plan.

Jim Knight: The Department has made substantial progress in delivering the objectives published in December 2005 in the 14-19 implementation plan. Delivery is on track with all three key priorities set out in the plan.
	The first priority in the plan is putting a strong focus on improving the system now so that young people stay in learning and achieve. Here there have been substantial improvements in the numbers of young people achieving level 2 qualifications by the age of 19. This follows work on a joint action plan which we agreed with the Learning and Skills Council in response to a review by the Prime Minister's delivery unit. The action has included identifying local areas for targeted action. The September guarantee of a learning place for year 11 leavers is already operating in many areas and will be universal by 2008. Many areas already have a prospectus covering all the learning opportunities for young people, and all areas will have this in place by 2008. The numbers of young people completing apprenticeships continue to rise, the latest figure for completion rates for apprenticeships now at around 53 per cent.
	The second priority in the plan is reforming the curriculum and qualifications available to 14-to 19-year-olds so that more young people are motivated and engaged in learning. Development of the new diplomas is on track: criteria for the first five diplomas were published in November 2006 and the qualifications are being developed for roll-out in September 2008. New standards for functional skills in English, maths and ICT have been developed and are being trialled around the country in preparation for a national pilot starting in September 2007. We have announced a new A* grade for A-level in order to put extra challenge into the qualification, and we are testing options for students to offer an extended project. There has also been substantial work by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in reviewing the secondary curriculum at key stage 3 and 4, and revised programmes of study will shortly be going out for consultation. A new framework of personal, learning and thinking skills has been developed and will be embedded in the new qualifications. There are also trials under way for a new foundation learning tier, offering qualifications below level 2, and we are testing options for re-engaging 14-to 16-year-olds in learning.
	The third priority is creating the infrastructure needed to deliver the new curriculum and qualifications in every area of England. Legislation is now in place for introduction of a new entitlement for young people to access the new diplomas in 2013. Three hundred and twenty four local consortia have submitted applications to offer the new diplomas in 2008 and their self-assessments will be considered by regional panels over the next month. We have secured additional funding to support local areas offering the diplomas50 million for work force development and 40 million for facilities. Seventy eight local areas have attended learning visits hosted by 14-19 pathfinder areas in order to learn how to deliver 14-19 provision effectively.

Isle of Sheppey Academy

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many meetings of the shadow academy for the Isle of Sheppey there have been; and if he will publish the minutes of the meetings.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 February 2007
	There have been seven meetings of the Isle of Sheppey academy project steering group since June 2006. The purpose of this group is to test the feasibility of the Academy proposals. The outcome will inform our subsequent decisions on whether to enter into a funding agreement with the academy trust, which would be established by the sponsors. It is not our practice to publish PSG minutes.

Isle of Sheppey Academy

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which company has been employed by the shadow academy group for the Isle of Sheppey to provide a valuation of the sites of the three middle schools.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 February 2007
	Under our new model for delivering academy buildings, the responsibility for the design and subsequent construction of this proposed academy would rest with the local authority. Site valuations form part of this process. Glenny LLP have been employed by Kent county council from its existing approved supplier framework to provide these valuations.

Isle of Sheppey Academy

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what alternative plans have been developed for secondary schools on the Isle of Sheppey should the proposed Academy be turned down.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 February 2007
	The provision of school places within its area is a matter for Kent county council.

Adoption

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) placement orders and  (b) adoption orders were made in 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 1 February 2007
	The number of placement orders made by courts in England and Wales for 1 January to 31 December 2006 was 1,434.
	Statistical information on the total number of placement orders has been provided by the court service. These statistics have not yet been published.
	The number of adoption orders made for all children by courts in England and Wales for 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 was 5,360 (latest figures available).
	Statistical information on the total number of adoptions is included in the statistics series Marriage, divorce and adoptions, volume FM2, published by the Office for National Statistics. A copy of this publication is available in the House of Commons Library and on the ONS website at
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vink=581Pos=1ColRank=2Rank=192.

A-levels

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the geography A-level attainment level was for  (a) boys and  (b) girls over the last 15 years.

Jim Knight: The information requested can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  GCE A level entries and percentages achieving grade A-E in geography, in all schools and colleges from 1991/92 to 2005/06( 1) 
			   Male  Female  Male and female 
			   Number of entries  Percentage achieving A-E  Number of entries  Percentage achieving A-E  Number of entries  Percentage achieving A-E 
			 2005/06 15,525 98.5 12,758 99.2 28,283 98.8 
			 2004/05 15,523 98.1 12,860 98.9 28,383 98.5 
			 2003/04 16,471 98.0 13,435 98.8 29,906 98.3 
			 2002/03 16,846 97.8 14,333 98.5 31,179 98.1 
			 2001/02 17,001 96.8 14,066 98.2 31,067 97.5 
			 2000/01 17,905 91.8 15,201 94.0 33,106 92.8 
			 1999/2000 17,931 91.7 15,086 93.6 33,017 92.6 
			 1998/99 20,127 91.8 16,927 93.3 37,054 92.5 
			 1997/98 21,003 90.7 17,829 92.5 38,832 91.5 
			 1996/97 20,864 88.6 17,115 90.9 37,979 89.6 
			 1995/96 20,498 81.8 16,664 84.0 37,162 82.8 
			 1994/95 21,346 80.2 17,331 82.4 38,677 81.2 
			 1993/94 23,055 78.7 18,414 80.4 41,469 79.5 
			 1992/93 23,371 79.2 18,303 80.5 41,674 79.8 
			 1991/92 22,756 79.8 18,171 81.2 40,927 80.4 
			 (1) Figures for 2005/06 are revised, all other figures are final.  Note: Figures from 1995/96 include 16 to 18-year-olds (based on age at start of academic year) in all schools and colleges, figures prior to this include all students in all schools and colleges.

Apprenticeships

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships had no work-based element spent with an employer in each year since 1997; and which apprenticeships have a work-based element where the apprentice spends on average  (a) fewer than five,  (b) five to 10,  (c) 10 to 20 and  (d) more than 20 hours per week with an employer over the same period.

Phil Hope: holding answer 30 January 2007
	Every apprenticeship programme includes appropriate employment-based learning and application. The balance between work-based and off-the-job learning varies between apprentices and employers according to need. Data on apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships is collected on the Learning and Skills Council's individualised learner record (ILR). However, it is not possible from the data to determine the time spent by an individual apprentice on the work-based element of their programme.

BBC Digital Curriculum

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the BBC digital curriculum content can interoperate fully with third-party learning platforms.

Jim Knight: The BBC aim to provide all BBC Jam commissions in a format which allows any learning platform, or VLE, provider to use them in their products. The BBC is running a series of meetings with the industry to inform them and discuss the process.

Biometric Data

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department has issued on the collection of biometric data by school libraries.

Jim Knight: The Department has issued no guidance on the collection of biometric data by school libraries. Biometric data is covered like all data by the Data Protection Act 1998. Guidance on data protection issues is available on the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) website. Becta aims to revise its current guidance on data protection to include specific guidance on biometric technology, which will be available on its website by the end of March 2007 after consultation with the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Curriculum

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what plans he has to introduce  (a) gender equality issues and  (b) issues around domestic violence into the (i) citizenship personal, social and health education parts of the curriculum;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure there are work packs for teachers for teaching about domestic violence.

Jim Knight: One of the aims of the national curriculum is to promote equal opportunities and enable pupils to challenge discrimination and stereotyping.
	The programmes of study for citizenship education, which is statutory for all 11-to 16-year-olds, require that children be taught about human rights and responsibilities and
	the opportunities for individuals to bring about social change,
	which can include discussing gender equality issues. They also require pupils be taught about the
	importance of resolving conflict fairly
	which can include issues around domestic violence. In addition, the non-statutory framework for personal social and health education (PSHE) says that pupils should be taught
	to deal with changing relationships in a positive way, showing goodwill to others and using strategies to resolve disagreements peacefully
	and
	to know about the statutory and voluntary organisations that support relationships in crisis.
	Content of the secondary curriculum is currently being reviewed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and will be published for public consultation shortly.
	The DfES supports teaching resources including Missdorothy.com, a comprehensive learning programme for seven-to 16-year-olds delivered in the classroom and with links to the national curriculum, which tackles behaviour and personal safety issues including domestic violence.

Early Retirement

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers took early retirement in  (a) west Lancashire and  (b) England in each year since 1997, broken down by type of institution.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available at constituency or local authority level.
	The following table provides the number of teachers who took early retirement, defined as before the normal pension age of 60 on premature, actuarially reduced benefits or ill health grounds, in each year from 1997-98 to 2005-06 and broken down by type of institution in England.
	
		
			  Early retirements by type of institution( 1) , 1997-98 to 2005-06England 
			   Maintained sector 
			  Financial year  Nursery/primary  Secondary  Special/PRU  Total maintained sector 
			 1997-98(2) 6,780 7,140 710 14,630 
			 1998-99 2,120 2,270 270 4,660 
			 1999-2000 2,250 2,490 240 4,970 
			 2000-01 2,740 2,730 330 5,800 
			 2001-02 2,580 2,930 350 5,860 
			 2002-03 2,680 2,990 320 5,990 
			 2003-04 2,940 3,540 320 6,810 
			 2004-05(3) 3,290 4,000 350 7,640 
			 2005-06(3) 3,370 4,370 380 8,120 
		
	
	
		
			   Other sectors( 4) 
			  Financial year  Independent  Further and higher education  Unknown  Total all sectors 
			 1997-98(2) 1,200 5,560 280 21,670 
			 1998-99 180 570 170 5,580 
			 1999-2000 180 580 130 5,870 
			 2000-01 260 830 110 7,000 
			 2001-02 370 1,010 110 7,350 
			 2002-03 400 1,150 130 7,670 
			 2003-04 400 1,030 200 8,440 
			 2004-05(3) 450 1,240 230 9,560 
			 2005-06(3) 590 1,290 270 10,270 
			 (1) The last known institution where the teacher was in teaching service which may have been some years before the date of retirement. (2) The effect of the change in the Teachers' Pensions Scheme, from 31 August 1997, was that many more teachers took early retirement in 1997 than in other years. Actuarially reduced benefits are included from 2000-01. (3) Provisional. (4) Including only those retirements from independent and further and higher education establishments covered under the Teachers' Pensions Scheme.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DfES Pensioner statistical system

Education Maintenance Allowance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact of educational maintenance allowances on the number of young people staying in full-time education beyond 16 years.

Phil Hope: holding answer 5 February 2007
	Recent national participation figures(1) for the number of 16-year-olds in full-time education show an increase of 4.5 percentage points over the past two years. Whilst it is not possible to say that all of the increase was due to education maintenance allowance, this was one of the most important initiatives aimed at increasing participation.
	EMA has been particularly effective in engaging some of our most vulnerable young people such as teenage parents and those who for no fault of their own are estranged from their families. EMA has its biggest impact where it is most neededamong those from less well off households, those from an ethnic minority background and among boys, closing the gender gap.
	(1 )SFR (June 2006), Participation in Education, Training  Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England 2004 and 2005 DfES, SFR 21/2006.

E-learning Credits

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many e-learning credits have been spent by schools in each local education authority since their introduction;
	(2)  how many e-learning credits have been allocated to schools in each local education authority since their introduction.

Jim Knight: holding answer 22 January 2007
	The table that has been placed in the House Library shows how many e-learning credits have been allocated to schools in each local authority and how many e-learning credits have been spent by schools in each local authority since their introduction.

ESOL

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish research he has undertaken into the English for speakers of other languages market since the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority survey in 2005.

Phil Hope: No further research work on this has been commissioned since the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority survey in 2005. However levels of activity in the Further Education sector as recorded through the Learning and Skills Council's individualised learner record show a growth in demand for ESOL which is clearly unsustainable within the public funding available. Information is not available to disaggregate this information beyond getting a view of overall provision levels, but it is our priority to ensure that funding is prioritised on those who must need public help and support and that those learners who we support are able to access learning that is good quality and is appropriate to their needs.

Ethnicity in Schools

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of secondary-age pupils in each local education authority in  (a) London,  (b) Birmingham,  (c) Leicester,  (d) Derby,  (e) Nottingham,  (f) Bradford,  (g) Slough,  (h) Bolton,  (i) Rochdale,  (j) Luton,  (k) Bristol and  (l) Blackburn and Darwen are (i) white British, (ii) black Caribbean, (iii) black African, (iv) Indian, (v) Pakistani and (vi) Bangladeshi.

Jim Knight: holding answer 30 January 2007
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools( 1) : Number and percentage of pupils attending secondary schools by ethnicityJanuary 2006  by selected local authority areas 
			  Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			White  White British  Irish  Traveller of Irish Heritage 
			Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage 
			   2,764,070 83.6 2,673,980 80.9 12,220 0.4 1,060 0.0 
			 201 City of London (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 202 Camden 4,790 48.1 3,549 35.7 239 2.4 10 0.1 
			 203 Greenwich 8,360 57.5 7,289 50.1 150 1.0 4 0.0 
			 204 Hackney 2,100 30.0 1,085 15.5 130 1.9 26 0.4 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,320 48.4 2,351 34.3 223 3.3 8 0.1 
			 206 Islington 3,360 41.6 2,106 26.1 146 1.8 3 0.0 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 1,760 50.0 1,121 31.9 172 4.9 4 0.1 
			 208 Lambeth 2,410 29.9 1,469 18.2 71 0.9 0 0.0 
			 209 Lewisham 4,200 38.2 3,443 31.3 67 0.6 4 0.0 
			 210 Southward 2,920 28.5 2,238 21.9 155 1.5 10 0.1 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 3,300 23.0 2,671 18.6 50 0.3 (7) (7) 
			 212 Wandsworth 3,750 35.9 3,079 29.5 49 0.5 (7) (7) 
			 213 Westminster 2,800 33.3 1,712 20.4 44 0.5 (7) (7) 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 8,820 69.8 8,261 65.4 50 0.4 0 0.0 
			 302 Barnet 10,740 55.0 7,329 37.5 241 1.2 10 0.1 
			 303 Bexley 14,820 80.9 14,247 77.8 100 0.5 7 0.0 
			 304 Brent 2,620 15.9 1,316 8.0 299 1.8 18 0.1 
			 305 Bromley 17,890 79.8 17,186 76.6 84 0.4 5 0.0 
			 306 Croydon 9,830 52.8 9,009 48.4 217 1.2 5 0.0 
			 307 Ealing 4,880 32.1 3,862 25.4 216 1.4 27 0.2 
			 308 Enfield 12,850 58.0 8,262 37.3 336 1.5 (7) (7) 
			 309 Haringey 4,800 41.2 2,523 21.6 147 1.3 24 0.2 
			 310 Harrow 3,310 36.7 2,738 30.3 219 2.4 14 0.2 
			 311 Havering 13,970 84.2 13,565 81.7 69 0.4 3 0.0 
			 312 Hillingdon 10,740 62.9 10,151 59.4 128 0.7 16 0.1 
			 313 Hounslow 6,860 41.4 5,691 34.3 209 1.3 14 0.1 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 6,520 68.1 5,883 61.4 50 0.5 6 0.1 
			 315 Merton 4,770 55.5 4,166 48.4 101 1.2 (7) (7) 
			 316 Newham 3,880 21.2 2,984 16.3 61 0.3 (7) (7) 
			 317 Redbridge 8,410 40.7 7,079 34.3 141 0.7 10 0.0 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 5,570 77.7 5,061 70.6 49 0.7 0 0.0 
			 319 Sutton 12,220 75.6 11,472 71.0 143 0.9 6 0.0 
			 320 Waltham Forest 6,380 45.3 4,949 35.2 118 0.8 15 0.1 
			 330 Birmingham 36,820 52.4 34,624 49.3 954 1.4 12 0.0 
			 350 Bolton 16,440 83.8 16,237 82.8 38 0.2 7 0.0 
			 354 Rochdale 11,300 79.9 11,179 79.0 32 0.2 21 0.1 
			 380 Bradford 21,490 62.8 21,165 61.8 42 0.1 5 0.0 
			 801 Bristol, City of 12,980 83.8 12,555 81.0 96 0.6 4 0.0 
			 821 Luton 6,620 53.6 6,033 49.1 252 2.0 13 0.1 
			 831 Derby 12,340 78.8 12,004 76.6 70 0.4 8 0.1 
			 856 Leicester 8,290 46.3 7,747 43.3 96 0.5 14 0.1 
			 871 Slough 3,540 39.7 3,181 35.7 81 0.9 (7) (7) 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 6,640 70.5 6,582 69.9 16 0.2 3 0.0 
			 892 Nottingham 10,200 74.9 9,884 72.5 59 0.4 6 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			Gypsy/Roma  Any other White background  Mixed  White and Black Caribbean 
			Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage 
			   2,300 0.1 74,510 2.3 84,190 2.5 30,490 0.9 
			 201 City of London (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 202 Camden 7 0.1 983 9.9 820 8.2 243 2.4 
			 203 Greenwich 20 0.1 893 6.1 1,010 7.0 372 2.6 
			 204 Hackney 3 0.0 854 12.2 500 7.2 239 3.4 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 25 0.4 711 10.4 480 7.1 165 2.4 
			 206 Islington 3 0.0 1,097 13.6 690 8.5 275 3.4 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0.0 459 13.1 400 11.4 124 3.5 
			 208 Lambeth 16 0.2 853 10.6 640 7.9 274 3.4 
			 209 Lewisham (7) (7) 688 6.3 1,110 10.1 507 4.6 
			 210 Southward 10 0.1 508 5.0 620 6.1 297 2.9 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 3 0.0 573 4.0 450 3.1 165 1.3 
			 212 Wandsworth 0 0.0 617 5.9 960 9.2 421 4.0 
			 213 Westminster (7) (7) 1,038 12.4 620 7.4 193 2.3 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 5 0.0 507 4.0 450 3.5 183 1.4 
			 302 Barnet 0 0.0 3,162 16.2 1,100 5.6 223 1.1 
			 303 Bexley 22 0.1 443 2.4 620 3.4 160 0.9 
			 304 Brent 3 0.0 981 6.0 770 4.7 239 1.5 
			 305 Bromley 28 0.1 587 2.6 930 4.2 332 1.5 
			 306 Croydon 13 0.1 590 3.2 1,500 8.0 611 3.3 
			 307 Ealing 10 0.1 762 5.0 860 5.7 358 2.4 
			 308 Enfield 18 0.1 4,228 19.1 1,560 7.1 405 1.8 
			 309 Haringey 35 0.3 2,075 17.8 1,040 9.0 428 3.7 
			 310 Harrow (7) (7) 341 3.8 560 6.2 158 1.7 
			 311 Havering (7) (7) 332 2.0 440 2.7 169 1.0 
			 312 Hillingdon 4 0.0 439 2.6 850 5.0 232 1.4 
			 313 Hounslow 7 0.0 939 5.7 870 5.3 262 1.6 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 6 0.1 573 6.0 570 5.9 100 1.0 
			 315 Merton 7 0.1 498 5.8 510 5.9 169 2.0 
			 316 Newham 34 0.2 802 4.4 920 5.0 332 1.8 
			 317 Redbridge 8 0.0 1.173 5.7 1,100 5.3 359 1.7 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 4 0.1 453 6.3 440 6.1 137 1.9 
			 319 Sutton 3 0.0 591 3.7 790 4.9 190 1.2 
			 320 Waltham Forest 33 0.2 1,263 9.0 1,110 7.9 461 3.3 
			 330 Birmingham 5 0.0 1,220 1.7 3,930 5.6 1,853 2.6 
			 350 Bolton 22 0.1 135 0.7 410 2.1 105 0.5 
			 354 Rochdale (7) (7) 70 0.5 190 1.3 46 0.3 
			 380 Bradford 41 0.1 237 0.7 780 2.3 317 0.9 
			 801 Bristol, City of 4 0.0 324 2.1 790 5.1 379 2.4 
			 821 Luton 8 0.1 315 2.6 760 6.1 387 3.1 
			 831 Derby 35 0.2 227 1.4 560 3.6 297 1.9 
			 856 Leicester 4 0.0 428 2.4 910 5.1 362 2.0 
			 871 Slough 17 0.2 257 2.9 470 5.3 138 1.5 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen (7) (7) 39 0.4 110 1.2 21 0.2 
			 892 Nottingham 10 0.1 244 1.8 900 6.6 585 4.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			White and Black African  White and Asian  Any other mixed background  Asian 
			Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage 
			   8,030 0.2 16,860 0.5 28,830 0.9 221,110 6.7 
			 201 City of London (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 202 Camden 125 1.3 128 1.3 324 3.3 1,620 16.3 
			 203 Greenwich 154 1.1 95 0.7 391 2.7 1,020 7.0 
			 204 Hackney 66 0.9 34 0.5 165 2.4 940 13.4 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 54 0.8 69 1.0 196 2.9 520 7.6 
			 206 Islington 79 1.0 30 0.4 302 3.7 870 10.8 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 52 1.5 35 1.0 188 5.4 130 3.8 
			 208 Lambeth 60 0.7 28 0.3 276 3.4 360 4.5 
			 209 Lewisham 134 1.2 68 0.6 401 3.6 470 4.2 
			 210 Southward 59 0.6 30 0.3 235 2.3 520 5.1 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 71 0.5 33 0.2 156 1.1 8,120 56.5 
			 212 Wandsworth 113 1.1 97 0.9 329 3.2 1,770 17.0 
			 213 Westminster 96 1.1 82 1.0 248 3.0 1,510 18.0 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 63 0.7 44 0.3 135 1.1 1,020 8.0 
			 302 Barnet 172 0.9 188 1.0 517 2.6 2,950 15.1 
			 303 Bexley 72 0.4 126 0.7 265 1.4 890 4.8 
			 304 Brent 101 0.6 139 0.8 288 1.8 6,020 36.7 
			 305 Bromley 77 0.3 213 0.9 309 1.4 630 2.8 
			 306 Croydon 137 0.7 212 1.1 536 2.9 2,030 10.9 
			 307 Ealing 86 0.6 206 1.4 213 1.4 4,870 32.1 
			 308 Enfield 144 0.6 218 1.0 796 3.6 1,830 8.2 
			 309 Haringey 153 1.3 89 0.6 374 3.2 930 8.0 
			 310 Harrow 47 0.5 127 1.4 224 2.5 3,430 38.0 
			 311 Havering 49 0.3 85 0.5 139 0.8 360 2.1 
			 312 Hillingdon 75 0.4 134 0.6 410 2.4 3,220 18.8 
			 313 Hounslow 74 0.4 189 1.1 347 2.1 5,540 33.4 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 63 0.7 174 1.8 231 2.4 1,420 14.8 
			 315 Merton 60 0.7 78 0.9 204 2.4 1,120 13.0 
			 316 Newham 129 0.7 125 0.7 336 1.8 7,520 41.1 
			 317 Redbridge 114 0.6 262 1.3 369 1.8 7,920 38.3 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 55 0.8 90 1.3 154 2.1 480 6.7 
			 319 Sutton 72 0.4 257 1.6 266 1.6 1,570 9.7 
			 320 Waltham Forest 148 1.1 130 0.9 373 2.7 3,140 22.3 
			 330 Birmingham 257 0.4 580 0.6 1,237 1.8 20,750 29.5 
			 350 Bolton 35 0.2 147 0.7 123 0.6 2,240 11.4 
			 354 Rochdale 16 0.1 74 0.5 53 0.4 2,320 16.4 
			 380 Bradford 50 0.1 206 0.6 206 0.6 11,180 32.7 
			 801 Bristol, City of 77 0.5 85 0.5 252 1.6 540 3.5 
			 821 Luton 37 0.3 133 1.1 198 1.6 3,450 28.1 
			 831 Derby 28 0.2 112 0.7 126 0.8 1,970 12.6 
			 856 Leicester 67 0.4 252 1.4 233 1.3 7,110 39.7 
			 871 Slough 30 0.3 132 1.5 171 1.9 4,000 44.9 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 14 0.1 47 0.5 27 0.3 2,490 26.5 
			 892 Nottingham 54 0.4 83 0.6 174 1.3 1,230 9.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			Indian  Pakistani  Bangladeshi  Any other Asian background 
			Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage  Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage 
			   78,630 2.4 82,900 2.5 32,680 1.0 26,900 0.8 
			 201 City of London (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 202 Camden 119 1.2 125 1.3 1,058 10.6 319 3.2 
			 203 Greenwich 457 3.1 194 1.3 121 0.8 248 1.7 
			 204 Hackney 361 5.2 118 1.7 365 5.2 94 1.3 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 63 0.9 132 1.9 131 1.9 198 2.9 
			 206 Islington 124 1.5 54 0.7 654 8.1 39 0.5 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 29 0.8 34 1.0 38 1.1 33 0.9 
			 208 Lambeth 69 0.9 63 0.8 139 1.7 90 1.1 
			 209 Lewisham 74 0.7 72 0.7 90 0.8 229 2.1 
			 210 Southward 70 0.7 60 0.6 258 2.5 130 1.3 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 147 1.0 126 0.9 7,765 54.1 80 0.6 
			 212 Wandsworth 454 4.4 756 7.2 166 1.6 393 3.8 
			 213 Westminster 114 1.4 100 1.2 760 9.0 534 6.4 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 328 2.6 370 2.9 169 1.3 148 1.2 
			 302 Barnet 1,845 9.4 376 1.9 157 0.8 572 2.9 
			 303 Bexley 612 3.3 42 02 66 0.4 167 0.9 
			 304 Brent 3,772 23.0 1,055 6.4 101 0.6 1,094 6.7 
			 305 Bromley 300 1.3 53 02 98 0.4 178 0.8 
			 306 Croydon 809 4.3 565 3.0 131 0.7 528 2.8 
			 307 Ealing 2,990 19.7 1,099 7.2 90 0.6 694 4.6 
			 308 Enfield 643 2.9 169 0.8 458 2.1 555 2.5 
			 309 Haringey 268 2.3 149 1.3 308 2.6 204 1.7 
			 310 Harrow 1,934 21.4 333 3.7 55 0.6 1,111 12.3 
			 311 Havering 167 1.0 65 0.4 36 0.2 88 0.5 
			 312 Hillingdon 2,230 13.1 357 2.1 177 1.0 451 2.6 
			 313 Hounslow 3,587 21.6 1,344 8.1 154 0.9 451 2.7 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 401 4.2 196 2.0 49 0.5 775 8.1 
			 315 Merton 219 2.5 343 4.0 100 12 460 5.3 
			 316 Newham 2,101 11.5 2,169 11.9 2,487 13.6 762 4.2 
			 317 Redbridge 3,698 17.9 2,202 10.7 797 3.9 1,219 5.9 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 166 2.3 61 0.9 50 0.7 204 2.8 
			 319 Sutton 655 4.1 200 1.2 83 0.5 629 3.9 
			 320 Waltham Forest 480 3.4 1,961 13.9 204 1.4 491 3.5 
			 330 Birmingham 5,006 7.1 12,286 17.5 2,490 3.5 968 1.4 
			 350 Bolton 1,294 6.6 728 3.7 29 0.1 191 1.0 
			 354 Rochdale 35 0.2 1.825 12.9 291 2.1 173 12 
			 380 Bradford 768 2.2 9,255 27.0 780 2.3 373 1.1 
			 801 Bristol, City of 188 1.2 205 1.3 43 0.3 107 0.7 
			 821 Luton 473 3.8 1,711 13.9 804 6.5 464 3.8 
			 831 Derby 758 4.8 1,100 7.0 37 0.2 74 0.5 
			 856 Leicester 5,547 31.0 494 2.8 218 1.2 847 4.7 
			 871 Slough 1,835 20.6 1,754 19.7 37 0.4 374 4.2 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 1,085 11.5 1,262 13.4 78 0.8 68 0.7 
			 892 Nottingham 286 2.1 805 5.9 29 0.2 107 0.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			Black  Black Caribbean  Black African  Any other Black background 
			   ( 5) Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage ( 5) Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage ( 5) Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage ( 5) Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage 
			  England 117,390 3.6 43,080 1.3 60,500 1.8 13,810 0.4 
			 201 City of London (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 202 Camden 1,970 19.8 410 4.1 1,351 13.6 205 2.1 
			 203 Greenwich 3,040 20.9 639 4.4 2,083 14.3 316 2.2 
			 204 Hackney 2,690 38.4 1,065 15.2 1,498 21.4 123 1.8 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,580 23.0 597 8.7 834 12.2 145 2.1 
			 206 Islington 2,340 29.0 733 9.1 1,372 17.0 230 2.9 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 620 17.7 245 7.0 333 9.5 43 1.2 
			 208 Lambeth 4,180 51.9 1,627 20.2 2,065 25.7 483 6.0 
			 209 Lewisham 4,420 40.2 2,190 19.9 1,571 14.3 663 6.0 
			 210 Southwark 5,200 50.8 1,659 16.2 3,201 31.3 336 3.3 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 1,980 13.7 581 4.0 1,017 7.1 377 2.6 
			 212 Wandsworth 3,040 29.2 1,435 13.8 1,312 12.6 297 2.8 
			 213 Westminster 2,090 24.9 631 7.5 1,268 15.1 189 2.3 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 1,960 15.5 359 2.6 1,456 11.5 145 1.1 
			 302 Barnet 2,640 13.5 541 2.8 1,838 9.4 261 1.3 
			 303 Bexley 1,240 6.8 166 0.9 964 5.3 110 0.6 
			 304 Brent 3,990 24.3 1,693 10.3 1,900 11.6 393 2.4 
			 305 Bromley 1,330 5.9 522 2.3 549 2.4 259 12 
			 306 Croydon 4,630 24.9 2.210 11.9 1,783 9.6 635 3.4 
			 307 Ealing 2,600 17.1 1,041 6.9 1,438 9.5 124 0.8 
			 308 Enfield 4,260 19.2 1,500 6.8 2,386 10.8 374 1.7 
			 309 Haringey 3,620 31.0 1,517 13.0 1,880 16.1 220 1.9 
			 310 Harrow 1,280 14.2 500 5.5 630 7.0 150 1.7 
			 311 Havering 770 4.6 146 0.9 518 3.1 105 D.6 
			 312 Hillingdon 1,030 6.0 295 1.7 660 3.9 71 0.4 
			 313 Hounslow 1,690 10.2 439 2.6 1,067 6.4 184 1.1 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 380 4.0 67 0.7 255 2.7 57 0.6 
			 315 Merton 1,590 18.5 525 6.1 820 9.5 245 2.8 
			 316 Newham 4,900 26.8 1,248 6.8 3,324 18.2 330 1.8 
			 317 Redbridge 2,540 12.3 980 4.7 1,303 6.3 259 1.3 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 380 5.2 164 2.3 132 1.8 79 1.1 
			 319 Sutton 860 5.3 243 1.5 473 2.9 140 0.9 
			 320 Waltham Forest 2,960 21.0 1,386 9.8 1,162 6.3 408 2.9 
			 330 Birmingham 6,440 9.2 3,873 5.5 1.941 2.8 625 0.9 
			 350 Bolton 210 1.1 22 0.1 164 0.8 22 0.1 
			 354 Rochdale 110 0.8 13 0.1 85 0.6 13 0.1 
			 380 Bradford 390 1.1 160 0.5 175 0.5 56 0.2 
			 801 Bristol, City of 880 5.7 279 1.8 437 2.8 168 1.1 
			 621 Luton 1,200 9.8 581 4.7 502 4.1 119 1.0 
			 831 Derby 450 2.9 234 1.5 148 0.9 71 0.5 
			 856 Leicester 1,200 6.7 251 1.4 844 4.7 104 0.6 
			 871 Slough 560 6.2 161 1.8 322 3.6 73 0.8 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 30 0.4 (7) (7) 29 0.3 3 0.0 
			 892 Nottingham 970 7.1 518 3.8 272 2.0 180 1.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			Chinese  Any other ethnic group ( 2) Classified 
			   ( 5) Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage ( 5) Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage ( 5) Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage 
			  England 12,940 0.4 29,650 0.9 3,229,350 97.7 
			 201 City of London (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 202 Camden 110 1.1 380 3.8 9.680 97.3 
			 203 Greenwich 190 1.3 400 2.8 14,020 96.4 
			 204 Hackney 40 0.6 650 9.3 6,920 99.0 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 40 0.6 790 11.4 6,730 98.1 
			 206 Islington 90 1.2 600 7.5 7,940 98.5 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 20 0.4 520 14.9 3,450 98.1 
			 208 Lambeth 120 1.5 310 3.9 8,020 99.6 
			 209 Lewisham 200 1.8 340 3.1 10,740 97.6 
			 210 Southwark 120 1.2 460 4.5 9,840 96.2 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 150 1.1 270 1.9 14,260 99.3 
			 212 Wandsworth 100 0.9 490 4.7 10,100 96.6 
			 213 Westminster 140 1.7 1,180 14.0 8,330 992 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 40 0.3 160 1.3 12,440 98.5 
			 302 Barnet 470 2.4 1,250 6.4 19,150 98.0 
			 303 Bexley 210 1.1 150 0.8 17,920 97.8 
			 304 Brent 70 0.5 910 5.6 14,380 87.6 
			 305 Bromley 160 0.7 250 1.1 21,190 94.5 
			 306 Croydon 50 0.3 380 2.1 16,430 99.0 
			 307 Ealing 70 0.5 1,510 9.9 14,800 97.4 
			 308 Enfield 160 0.7 900 4.0 21,550 97.3 
			 309 Haringey 50 0.4 1,110 9.5 11,560 99.1 
			 310 Harrow 70 0.7 240 2.7 8,890 98.4 
			 311 Havering 60 0.4 50 0.3 15,650 94.3 
			 312 Hillingdon 50 0.3 800 4.7 16,670 97.6 
			 313 Hounslow 60 04 1,300 7.8 16.320 98.4 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 170 1.8 420 4.4 9,470 99.0 
			 315 Merton 70 0.8 280 3.2 8,350 97.0 
			 316 Newham 90 0.5 690 3.8 18,010 98.5 
			 317 Redbridge 180 0.9 190 0.9 20,350 98.5 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 40 0.5 180 2.5 7,080 98.8 
			 319 Sutton 180 1.1 240 1.5 15,850 98.1 
			 320 Waltham Forest 70 0.5 290 2.1 13,940 99.1 
			 330 Birmingham 310 0.4 1,170 1.7 69,410 98.8 
			 350 Bolton 40 0.2 80 0.4 19,420 99.0 
			 354 Rochdale 50 0.3 50 0.3 14,020 99.1 
			 380 Bradford 40 0.1 190 0.5 34,060 99.5 
			 801 Bristol, City of 70 0.4 80 0.5 15,360 99.1 
			 621 Luton 30 0.3 110 0.9 12,170 99.0 
			 831 Derby 50 0.3 100 0.7 15,480 98.8 
			 856 Leicester 40 0.2 160 0.9 17,710 99.0 
			 871 Slough 50 0.5 200 2.3 8,810 99.0 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 20 0.2 30 0.4 9,330 99.0 
			 892 Nottingham 40 0.3 140 1.0 13,480 98.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			   ( 3) Unclassified  
			   ( 5) Number of pupils ( 6) Percentage ( 4,5) All pupils 
			  England 77,220 2.3 3,306,570 
			 201 City of London (8) (8) (8) 
			 202 Camden 268 2.7 9,950 
			 203 Greenwich 520 3.6 14,540 
			 204 Hackney 70 1.0 6,990 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 128 1.9 6,860 
			 206 Islington 122 1.5 8,060 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 66 1.9 3,510 
			 208 Lambeth 29 0.4 8,050 
			 209 Lewisham 259 2.4 11,000 
			 210 Southwark 391 3.8 10,230 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 105 0.7 14,370 
			 212 Wandsworth 330 3.2 10,430 
			 213 Westminster 71 0.8 8,400 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 190 1.5 12,630 
			 302 Barnet 397 2.0 19,550 
			 303 Bexley 405 2.2 18,320 
			 304 Brent 2,039 12.4 16,420 
			 305 Bromley 1,230 5.5 22,420 
			 306 Croydon 193 1.0 18,620 
			 307 Ealing 388 2.6 15,180 
			 308 Enfield 605 2.7 22,150 
			 309 Haringey 102 0.9 11,660 
			 310 Harrow 147 1.6 9,040 
			 311 Havering 941 5.7 16,590 
			 312 Hillingdon 406 2.4 17,080 
			 313 Hounslow 273 1.6 16,590 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 100 1.0 9,570 
			 315 Merton 259 3.0 8,600 
			 316 Newham 270 1.5 18,280 
			 317 Redbridge 301 1.5 20,650 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 89 1.2 7,170 
			 319 Sutton 314 1.9 16,160 
			 320 Waltham Forest 133 0.9 14,070 
			 330 Birmingham 670 1.2 70,280 
			 350 Bolton 202 1.0 19,620 
			 354 Rochdale 130 0.9 14,150 
			 380 Bradford 172 0.5 34,230 
			 801 Bristol, City of 138 0.9 15,490 
			 621 Luton 126 1.0 12,300 
			 831 Derby 189 1.2 15,670 
			 856 Leicester 185 1.0 17,900 
			 871 Slough 93 1.0 8,910 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 90 1.0 9,420 
			 892 Nottingham 147 1.1 13,630 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Pupils of compulsory school age and above were classified according to ethnic group. Excludes dually registered pupils (3) Information refused or not obtained. (4) Total pupils of compulsory school age and above. (5) National and totals across ethnic groups have been rounded to the nearest 10. (6) Number of pupils by ethnic group expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils of compulsory school age and above. (7 )1 or 2 pupils, or a rate based on 1 or 2 pupils. (8 )Not applicable, no schools of this type  Source:  Schools' Census

European Schools

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on recent developments in the arrangements for the European schools and the Government's policy towards them.

Bill Rammell: The international governing body of the European schools meets on 30-31 January 2007 to discuss, among other things, reports and recommendations on the future of the European schools system. The Government are committed to the future of the European schools and fulfil their treaty obligations under the 1994 convention defining the statute of the european schools.

Faith Schools

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much from public funds was paid to Catholic faith schools in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: holding answer 1 February 2007
	The available information relating to Voluntary Aided Roman Catholic schools is contained in the following tables:
	
		
			  Total budget share plus grants( 1'2)  allocated( 3)  to local authority maintained catholic faith schools( 4)  in England2000-01 to 2006-07: Cash terms figures( 5)  as reported by local authorities as at 31 January 2007. 
			   Total number of local authority maintained schools classified as catholic( 4)  Total budget share plus grants allocated to local authority maintained catholic faith schools( 1,2,3 ) () 
			 2000-01(1) 2,108 1,580,871,000 
			 2001-02 2,104 1,769,666,000 
			 2002-03 2,093 1,882,295,000 
			 2003-04(1) 2,078 2,025,425,000 
			 2004-05 2,077 2,185,040,000 
			 2005-06 2,069 2,355,259,000 
			 2006-07 2,051 2,551,522,000 
			  Notes:(1) Budget share plus grants is the combination of the schools individual budget share plus any revenue grants allocated to the school at the start of the financial year. In 2000-01, any school standards grant allocated to individual schools at the start of the financial year was not recorded and is therefore excluded from the 2000-01 figures. Similarly, in 2003-04, any excellence in cities grant allocated to schools was not recorded and is therefore excluded from the 2003-04 figures.  (2) Figures for secondary schools include any Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding for schools with sixth forms.  (3) The amount of money allocated to a school depends very much on the individual local authorities' own policy for funding their schools. Different authorities retain varying amounts of funding centrally to spend on behalf of their schools while others chose to give schools more autonomy over how they spend their money by devolving more funding to the individual school.  (4) A school has been classified as a catholic faith school according to the religious character indicator on Edubase (the department's database of educational establishments). This classification only includes local authority maintained faith schools solely classified as catholic as at 31 January 2007 and therefore excludes any faith schools jointly provided by the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.  (5) Cash figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000.  (6) Financial data are drawn from local authorities Section 52 Budget Statements (Table 2) submitted to the Department for Education and Skills. Figures are not available prior to the 2000-01 financial year. 
		
	
	The following table shows the amount of capital grant paid to voluntary aided Roman Catholic schools from 2002-03 to 2005-06.
	
		
			   million 
			 2002-03 156,561,000 
			 2003-04 242,156,000 
			 2004-05 264,008,000 
			 2005-06 248,118,000 
		
	
	Capital data is not available prior to 2002-03.

Mature Students

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the number of mature students in further education.

Bill Rammell: There is no standard definition of a mature student used in analysis of further education statistics. The following table provides an age breakdown of learners on Learning and Skills Council-funded further education provision in 2005-06.
	
		
			  Learners on LSC-funded further education provision in 2005-06 by age 
			  Age  Number (Thousand) 
			 Under 19 744.0 
			 19-24 495.4 
			 25-29 374.8 
			 30-34 353.7 
			 35.39 375.0 
			 40-44 351.5 
			 45-49 276.5 
			 50-54 206.7 
			 55-59 170.3 
			 60+ 267.8 
			 Unknown 13.0 
			 Total 3,628.7 
			  Source: Learning and Skills Council's individualised learner records

Further Education Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual pay was for teachers in further education colleges in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 February 2007
	The average annual pay for full time FE lecturers since 1996 was as follows:
	
		
			   
			 1996 23,240 
			 1997 23,720 
			 1998 24,160 
			 1999 24,940 
			 2000 25,660 
			 2001 26,360 
			 2002 27,560 
			 2003 28,550 
			 2004 29,570 
			 2005 30,590 
			  Source:  DFES database of teacher records. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Further Education Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual pay rise was for teachers in further education colleges in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 February 2007
	The average annual recommended pay rises for teachers in FE colleges for each of the last 10 years were as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 1997 2.5 
			 1998 2.7 
			 1999 3.0 
			 2000 3.3 
			 2001 3.7 
			 2002 3.5 
			 2003 (1)0.5 
			 2004 3.0 
			 2005 2.5 
			 2006 2.5 
			 (1) From April 2003 and 3.0 from August 2003

GCSE

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of children received five A*-C GCSE grades and equivalent in each year since 1996; and what qualifications are included as an equivalent to GCSE.

Jim Knight: The Department for Educational and Skills has collected data for GCSE equivalencies since 2004. Prior to this, only GCSE and GNVQ data was collected at key stage 4. The proportion of pupils in England achieving five plus A*-C at GCSE and equivalent since 2004 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of 15-year-old pupils achieving 5+A*-C at GCSE and equivalent 
			   Percentage 
			 2004 53.7 
			 2005 56.3 
			 2006(1) 58.5 
			 (1)Figures for 2006 are revised. All other figures are final. 
		
	
	Figures reporting achievements in GCSE and equivalent qualifications include results in all entry level, level 1 and level 2 qualifications which are approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as appropriate for pupils pre-16. GCE and VCE AS levels are the only level 3 qualifications which have been included. The general range of qualifications, together with the qualification families into which they fall, are as follows:
	 General
	GCE AS
	GCSE (full course)
	GCSE (short course)
	Entry level 3
	Entry level 2
	Entry level 1
	 General Vocational
	Applied GCE AS double award
	Applied GCE AS/VCE AS
	Full GNVQ, Intermediate
	Vocational GCSEs
	GNVQ Part 1, Intermediate
	Full GNVQ, Foundation
	GNVQ Part 1, Foundation
	 Occupational
	NVQ Level 2
	NVQ Level 1
	 Vocationally related
	VRQ Level 2 or BTEC First
	VRQ Level 1
	 Key skills
	Key skills Level 2
	Key Skills Level 1
	 Basic skills
	Basic skills Level 2
	Basic skills Level 1
	 Vocational languages
	Intermediate GNVQ language unit
	NVQ language unit at Level 2
	Foundation GNVQ language unit
	NVQ language unit at Level 1
	 Graded exams
	Graded exam (grade 8)
	Graded exam (grade 7)
	Graded exam (grade 6)
	Graded exam (grade 5)
	Graded exam (grade 4)
	Graded exam (grade 3)
	Graded exam (grade 2)
	Graded exam (grade1)
	 Free standing maths
	Level 3
	Level 2
	Level 1
	 Other general
	Other general qualifications L2
	Other general qualifications L1

GCSE

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of young people completing GCSEs only achieved five A*-C GCSE grades including English and mathematics in each year since 1996.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 February 2007
	The following table shows the number(1) and percentage of 15-year-old pupils(2) who achieved five or more A*-C grades at GCSE only including English and maths in each year since 1996.
	
		
			   Number of 15-year-olds achieving 5+A*-C at GCSE only including E and M  Percentage of 15-year-olds achieving 5+A*-C at GCSE only including E and M 
			 1996 209,300 35.2 
			 1997 209,100 35.6 
			 1998 212,300 36.9 
			 1999 224,100 38.6 
			 2000 231,600 39.9 
			 2001 244,700 40.6 
			 2002 254,000 41.9 
			 2003 258,300 41.5 
			 2004 271,400 42.2 
			 2005 277,400 43.6 
			 2006(3) 286,900 44.2 
			 (1 )Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. (2 )Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August. (3 )Data for 2006 are revised. Data for all other years are final.

Learning and Skills

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 1733-35W, on further education, when he expects the Learning and Skills Council to publish data on the destinations of learners after completion of their LSC-funded programmes for the period 2002 to 2006.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 30 January 2007
	Since 2002-03, figures on destinations of those leaving work-based learning programmes have been collected by the Learning and Skills Council from learning providers in the Individualised Learner record.
	Statisticians in the Department and the LSC are still assessing the reliability and validity of the relevant data, and developing an appropriate methodology to measure the destinations of work-based learners. It is anticipated that this work will be completed by the end of February, and I will write to the hon. Member at that time.

Pupil Expenditure

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent in real terms by central Government per pupil in  (a) secondary and  (b) primary schools in each year since 1996.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 February 2007
	The Department does not have any figures prior to 1997-98. However, the following table sets out the revenue funding figures per pupil aged 3-10 and 11-15 for England for years 1997-98 to 2005-06.
	
		
			   
			   Primary( 1)  Secondary( 2) 
			 1997-98 2,480 3,390 
			 1998-99 2,580 3,470 
			 1999-2000 2,750 3,610 
			 2000-01 2,990 3,900 
			 2001-02 3,160 4,110 
			 2002-03 3,250 4,210 
			 2003-04 3,450 4,280 
			 2004-05 3,550 4,450 
			 2005-06 3,770 4,640 
			 (1) 3 to 10-year-olds.  (2) 11 to 15-year-olds.   Notes:  1. Price Base: Real terms at 2005-06 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 27 September 2006.  2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment / Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements. Figures include the pensions transfer to EPS.  3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3-10 and 11-15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. For those authorities in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 2004-05, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (2004-05). There will be a consequential reduction in DfES grant for these LEAs in future years (either 2006-07 and 2007-08 or 2006-07 to 2008-09, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LEA).  4. The pupil numbers used to convert  million figures to  per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3-year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3 to 4-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.  5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  6. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal.  7. The revenue funding per pupil figures only run to 2005-06 because we cannot provide a consistent time series beyond that year as the introduction of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded. The 2004-05 and 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. In 2006-07 funding for schools changed with the introduction of the DSG which is based largely on an authority's previous spending. 
		
	
	The introduction of the dedicated schools grant in 2006-07 changed the mechanism for funding local authorities. The DSG-per-pupil level of funding for England is shown in the following table; these figures are not comparable with the earlier 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures.
	
		
			  England 
			   Amount () 
			 2005-06 Baseline 3,411 
			 2006-07 Baseline 3,643 
			 2006-07 DSG 3,888 
			  Notes:  1. The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) has a different coverage to EFS: EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified.  2. Figures exclude pension transfer to EFS.  3. To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, we have estimated the 2005-06 funding that was equivalent to schools block. This 2005-06 estimate was used to fund local authorities in 2005-06.  4. The DSG does not represent the totality of education funding; there are other grants that support the schools budget which have not been included in the table.  5. As DSG is just a mechanism for distributing funding, no primary/secondary split available.  6. Figures are in cash terms, rounded to the nearest 1.

School Places in Hornsey and Wood Green

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1058W, on school places in Hornsey and Wood Green, how many places in each school are unfilled.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the latest available figures for the number of places in schools in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency that were unfilled in January 2006 (2007 for Greig City Academy), the latest available figures. The number of applicants for places at Greig City Academy has increased each year since the Academy opened; for example, there are 185 pupils in year seven compared to 86 in year 11, which was the Academy's first intake in 2002.
	
		
			  School name  Number of unfilled places 
			  Primary schools  
			 Alexandra Primary School 68 
			 Bounds Green Infant School 51 
			 Bounds Green Junior School 117 
			 Campsbourne Infant School 22 
			 Campsbourne Junior School 53 
			 Coldfall Primary School 185 
			 Coleridge Primary School 9 
			 Earlham Primary School 29 
			 Highgate Primary School 37 
			 Lordship Lane Primary School 6 
			 Muswell Hill Primary School 0 
			 Nightingale Primary School 17 
			 Noel Park Primary School 93 
			 Our Lady of Muswell RC Primary School 20 
			 Rhodes Avenue Primary School 1 
			 Rokesly Infant School 2 
			 Rokesly Junior School 41 
			 St. Aidan's VC Primary School 1 
			 St. Gildafs RC Junior School 27 
			 St. James C of E Primary 4 
			 St. Martin of Porres RC Primary 7 
			 St. Mary's CE Infant School 5 
			 St. Mary's CE Junior School 20 
			 St. Michael's Primary School 13 
			 St. Michael's CE Primary School 13 
			 St. Paul's RC Primary School 4 
			 St. Peter In Chains RC Infant School 8 
			 Stroud Green Primary School 87 
			 Tetherdown Primary School 0 
			 Weston Park Primary School 0 
			   
			  Secondary schools  
			 Alexandra Park School 204 
			 Fortismere School 0 
			 Highgate Wood School 0 
			 Hornsey School for Girls 0 
			 St. Thomas More RC School 0 
			 Woodside High School 58 
			 Greig City Academy(1) 458 
			 (1) Figures supplied by the school as at January 2007.

School Places in Hornsey and Wood Green

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1058W, on school places in Hornsey and Wood Green, how many applicants were refused a place at each school because of lack of capacity; and how many applicants are on the waiting list for each school.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information centrally on the number of applicants for individual schools and reasons for refusal of admission. Nor do we collate information relating to numbers on waiting lists. This information may be available locally.

School Refurbishment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of schools in West Lancashire likely to be  (a) built and  (b) refurbished through the capital spending announced in the Chancellor's public spending statement.

Jim Knight: I have made no estimate of the number of schools in West Lancashire likely to be  (a) built and  (b) refurbished through the capital spending announced in the Chancellor's public spending statement. This is because (a) allocations to individual authorities have not yet been announced and (b) it is the responsibility of local authorities to decide upon the balance between building new schools and refurbishing existing ones, taking into account the condition of schools and changes in local population.
	In the next spending review period, 6.6 billion will be available in 2008-09, 6.9 billion in 2009-10, and 8.0 billion in 2010-11.

Ethnic Groups

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department has in place to monitor trends in the allocation of teaching and learning responsibility points within schools as a result of  (a) staffing reviews and  (b) decisions on movement on the upper scale to ensure that minority ethnic groups are not disadvantaged.

Jim Knight: holding answer 5 February 2007
	Schools are responsible for ensuring that their discretionary pay decisions comply with all the requirements of discrimination legislation, and should ensure that their pay policies make this compliance clear. The Department is developing a school workforce database to enable the collection of individual level data about all people who work in maintained schools in England. This is planned for national rollout in 2010 and will include data both on teacher ethnicity and on pay awards.

Social Care Professionals

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what national guidelines have been issued on the training of social care professionals on working  (a) in child protection,  (b) with children in care,  (c) with older young people in care and  (d) with young people generally.

Parmjit Dhanda: Social workers must be registered with the General Social Care Council. The requirements of registration include having a social work qualification approved by the GSCC. This is the same for all social workers.
	GSCC have also developed a post-qualifying framework for social workers, which offers qualified social workers on-going learning and development. This sets out specialist standards for post-qualifying awards at different levels including programmes in social work with children, young people and families.
	In addition, there are nine sets of National minimum standards for a range of children's social care services. The standards are used primarily by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in regulating and inspecting these settings. The standards are also used for providing a basis for the induction and training of staff by service providers. The NMS include clear standards to ensure that staff and carers receive training and development opportunities that equip them with the skills required to meet the needs of the children and the purpose of the children's social care setting.
	Chapter 4 of the Government's inter-agency guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) sets out guidance for the training of staff and volunteers to help them safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This includes social care professionals working in child protection.
	The Government have also issued a supplementary resource, Suggested Learning Outcomes for Target Groups in Training and Development: inter-agency work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, for those with a particular responsibility for safeguarding children and those who work with or who are in regular contact with children, young people, parents and carers.
	All training in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children should work within The Common Core of Skills and Knowledge (2005) for the children's work-force.

Special Educational Needs

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the  (a) total special educational needs expenditure and  (b) average special educational needs expenditure per pupil with special educational needs was in each local authority in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: The available information has been placed in the House Library.

Students

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time students undertook higher education programmes funded by (i) the Higher Education Funding Council for England and (ii) the Learning and Skills Council in further education colleges in each academic year between 1996-97 and 2006-07.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available.
	
		
			  Higher education students enrolled at further education colleges in England( 1,2,3) 
			   Full-time  Part-time  Total 
			  Funded by Higher Education Funding Council for England
			 2000/01 55,943 59,097 115,040 
			 2001/02 54,813 59,000 113,813 
			 2002/03 50,151 55,636 105,787 
			 2003/04 49,170 54,681 103,851 
			 2004/05 48,628 52,113 100,741 
			 2005/06 48,483 49,004 97,487 
			 2006/07 50,940 53,813 104,753 
			 
			  Funded by Learning and Skills Council( 4)
			 2001/02
			 2002/03 12,005 57,337 69,342 
			 2003/04 10,176 63,812 73,988 
			 2004/05 8,657 62,784 71,441 
			 2005/06 6,733 60,328 67,061 
			 (1) All student numbers are headcounts and include some students who were forecast not to complete their studies. The figures include both directly funded and indirectly funded students. Indirectly funded students are those who are: registered at member colleges of HEFCE-recognised funding consortia; franchised from an FE colleges to another FE college, as well as those franchised from an HEI to an FE college; and partially franchised to an FE college. Comparable figures for indirectly funded students are not available prior to 2000/01.  (2) Full-time includes students on a sandwich year out.  (3) The figures have not been adjusted for colleges that transferred during this period from the FE to the HE sector, or for those which merged with HE institutions, and which therefore account for some of the year-on-year reductions.  (4) The figures cover students undertaking courses at level 4 or above at further education colleges only. Students on work-based learning courses cannot be disaggregated by mode of study and have therefore been excluded from the figures. Comparable figures for earlier years broken down by full-time/part-time are not available.   Source:  Higher Education Funding Council for England, and Learning and Skills Council.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Maintenance

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions over what time period the new arrangements for payments of child maintenance will be phased in; and what changes  (a) have and  (b) are planned to be made in the operational improvement plan for the Child Support Agency in the transition to a child maintenance and enforcement commission.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Gentleman to box 3.1 on page 54 of the Child Maintenance White Paper A new system of child maintenance which sets out the expected timetable for transition to the new system.
	The CSA is fully committed to securing the benefits of the operational improvement plan and has no plans to alter its content in view of the impending creation of C-MEC. Indeed, successful delivery of the operational improvement plan is needed to provide C-MEC with a strong foundation on which to build. On current plans, C-MEC will be established before the operational improvement plan is fully completed and at that point it will be for C-MEC to decide whether any changes should be introduced to the final phase of the operational improvement plan.

Debt Management Consultants

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on debt management consultants in each quarter since the first quarter of 2006; and how much it spent on staff training relating to debt management in the same period.

James Plaskitt: The following table provides details of the costs of consultants working for debt management, and identifiable costs of training debt management staff.
	
		
			   
			  Period 2006  Consultants  Staff training 
			 January to March 1,076,300 57,600 
			 April to June 142,600 83,400 
			 July to September 237,400 57,600 
			 October to December 288,400 77,400

Departmental Staff

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department's programme of manpower reduction and reorganisation.

Anne McGuire: The Department continues to make progress on implementing its modernisation programme and, at the end of December 2006, had reduced staffing by 21,399 full-time equivalents since March 2004.
	The Department is now over two thirds of the way to meeting the target reduction of 30,000 as set out in the Gershon Review.

Departmental IT Projects

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the ICT projects in his Department that  (a) have been cancelled since 1997 and  (b) which remain under review; what the total expenditure was on each project; and which contractors were involved.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001. The Department undertakes a large number of projects which deliver business change and policy initiatives. IT changes are an enabling component of many projects. The number of projects in train at any one time will vary and the duration of the project lifecycle is often more than one calendar year. The following table includes only those projects that have been formally closed where the IT element is such that non-delivery of the IT would significantly damage the projects ability to deliver its intended results and the investment in the project has exceeded 1 million.
	
		
			  Project name  Contractors involved  Investment expenditure ( million) 
			 Document Management None appointed at time of cancellation 1.4 
			 Retirement Planner Accenture as Solution Provider EDS as Solution Operator 11.2 
			 E-enabled Retirement Pension EDS 1.8 
			 Benefits Processing Replacement Programme (BPRP) IBM: solution design services. PA Consulting: client side programme management and implementation support. (1)143 
			 (1 )Including future commitments 
		
	
	A significant amount of the investment in BPRP is of future value to the Department. At this point our best estimate of this sum is 73 million.
	The Department has a comprehensive monitoring system in place to ensure that projects and programmes continue to deliver value for money, make effective use of departmental resources and continue to meet departmental objectives throughout their development. As such all projects and programmes are subject to periodic comprehensive reviews.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the progress of the Financial Assistance Scheme.

James Purnell: As at 26 January 2007 the Financial Assistance Scheme had paid out a total of 3,028,553 gross (2,350,217 net) to 871 qualifying members.
	A further 91 members will be paid as soon as they have confirmed their personal details, and an additional 196 members have been assessed and will be eligible for FAS when they are 65.
	To help ensure that FAS is delivered as effectively and efficiently as possible we have completed, with the assistance of representatives from the pensions industry, a review of the administration of the FAS scheme.
	This incorporated the examination of a number of options to increase the speed at which eligible members receive payments.
	Good progress is being made towards implementing the proposals from that review, which include measures to inject skills from the private sector to enhance the data gathering processes and thus speed up payments.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people received incapacity benefit in  (a) each London borough and  (b) the UK on the grounds of dependency on (i) drugs and (ii) alcohol in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people received incapacity benefit in  (a) each London borough and  (b) the UK in each year since 1991, broken down by qualifying medical condition of recipient;
	(3)  how many incapacity benefit recipients experienced  (a) mental and  (b) behavioural disorder in each borough of London in each year since 1992, broken down by the type of disorder.

Anne McGuire: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated  (a) total cost and  (b) net present value is of the average award of incapacity benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The estimated outturn for incapacity benefit for 2005-06 is 6,647 million (nominal terms).
	The average weekly award of incapacity benefit, from the latest available data, is 88.29.

Jobcentre Plus

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of performance levels of Jobcentre Plus offices in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 5 February 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what recent assessment he has made of the performance levels of Jobcentre Plus offices in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex. This falls within responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Jobcentre Plus offices in Eastbourne and East Sussex fall within the Surrey and Sussex district. The latest year to date information, from 1 April 2007, for Eastbourne and East Sussex is in the Annex. Performance against the Job Outcome Target and the Employer Outcome Target is recorded at district level, not for individual offices.
	The Annex also shows performance for the Benefit Delivery Centre (BDC) in Hastings where the benefit processing work for Eastbourne and East Sussex is carried out.
	ANNEX
	
		
			  Performance against national targets for Eastbourne and East Sussex Jobcentres 
			   Percentage 
			  JOTJob Outcome Target  
			 District performance against target 85.1 
			 District performance target 100 
			  Employer Outcome Target  
			 District performance against target 83.2 
			 District performance target 86 
		
	
	
		
			  Customer service 
			  Percentage 
			   Target  Performance 
			 Eastbourne 84 85.1 
			 Bexhill 84 79.4 
			 Brighton 84 80.4 
			 Hastings 84 85.85 
			 Hove 84 81.8 
			 Lewis 84 80 
			 Newhaven 84 86.1 
		
	
	 Hastings benefit delivery centre
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Target  Performance 
			  Benefit delivery (accuracy)   
			 Income support 89.7 86.14 
			 Jobseekers allowance 93.7 85.13 
			 Incapacity benefit 95 97.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Days 
			   Target  Performance 
			  Actual average clearance time   
			 Income support 11 11.42 
			 Jobseekers allowance 12 12.96 
			 Incapacity benefit 18 14.88

Mental Health

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the incidence of fluctuating mental health conditions amongst  (a) incapacity benefit claimants and  (b) the general population in each of the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: Any mental health condition can fluctuate, and most do; therefore estimates of the incidence of fluctuating conditions amongst Incapacity Benefit claimants and the general population are not meaningful. We recognise that many mental health conditions can vary in severity; and it is important to bear this in mind when assessing the effects of any mental health condition.
	Medical diagnoses for people on incapacity benefit are based on the International Classification of Diseases and while this includes Mental and Behavioural Disorders the current version does not include a category relating specifically to fluctuating conditions.

Mental Health

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research has been carried out by his Department into the reasons for trends in the number of first time claimants of incapacity benefit due to mental ill health.

Anne McGuire: We are interested in learning more about people coming onto incapacity benefits. In 2006 the Department published Routes onto incapacity benefits: findings from qualitative research (DWP, Roy Sainsbury and Jacqueline Davidson (Research Report 350 available in the House of Commons Library)). This study is currently being complemented by a survey to pursue some of the findings further, and to generate findings that can be generalised to the wider incapacity benefits population. Fieldwork is in its final stages and we hope to publish findings in spring 2007.
	The Department is particularly interested in those claiming incapacity benefits who have a mental health condition and it has recently embarked on a programme of work with this particular group. The programme will include exploring issues affecting those coming on to incapacity benefits who were previously in work.
	The number of people coming onto incapacity benefits citing mental and behavioural disorders as their primary condition is down by 14,000 (6 per cent.) in the last year. Also, the number of people citing mental and behavioural disorders leaving these benefits has been increasing from 180,000 in 1997 to 219,000 in the last year.
	From 2008, we are replacing incapacity benefits with a new employment and support allowance for all new claimants. The transformed personal capability assessment will allow us to fully assess the impact that a mental health condition has on an individual's capability for work, based on the best evidence.

Mental Health

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which employers are working with his Department to develop schemes to assist people with mental health problems  (a) to remain in work and  (b) to return to work; and what the (i) content, (ii) expected outcomes and (iii) methods of evaluation are of these schemes.

Anne McGuire: We are currently consulting with employer organisations such as the Employers Forum on Disability and the National Employment Panel, which are committed to increasing job opportunities for disabled people, including those with a mental health condition.
	Alongside this work, the Chancellor announced, in his 2006 Budget, a review of policies needed to improve mental health and employment outcomes. As part of this ongoing review we are looking at how we can raise awareness of mental well-being among employers, improving the signposting of support and advice available to both employers and employees.

Minimum Wage Earners

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the finances of those on the minimum wage of the requirement to take out a personal pension plan or savings scheme.

James Purnell: Whether or not to save for a pension remains a matter for individuals to decide, and needs to be based on their personal circumstances and lifestyle, including those people on national minimum wages. The May 2006 White Paper, Security in retirement towards a new pension system indicates that around 2 per cent. of employees in the group eligible for automatic enrolment are estimated to be on the national minimum wage.
	The Government are keen to see pension saving increase, particularly among people on moderate to low incomes. That is why we will be introducing a new, simple, low cost pension savings vehicle, where the eligible savings of hard working people who want to save will be enhanced by contributions from their employers and normal tax relief.

National Insurance Numbers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were issued to  (a) non-British EU citizens and  (b) non-EU citizens in each month since January 1997.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to April 2002. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  National insurance number registrations in respect of non-UK nationals in the months shown 
			  Month of registration  All  EU  Non-EU 
			 6 to 30 April 2002 17,670 5,130 12,540 
			 May 2002 19,220 5,080 14,140 
			 June 2002 16,840 4,150 12,690 
			 July 2002 27,410 6,780 20,630 
			 August 2002 31,160 8,080 23,080 
			 September 2002 35,870 9,020 26,860 
			 October 2002 30,760 7,860 22,900 
			 November 2002 32,500 8,830 23,670 
			 December 2002 27,300 7,630 19,670 
			 January 2003 37,640 10,050 27,590 
			 February 2003 35,560 9,960 25,600 
			 March 2003 31,380 8,510 22,880 
			 1 to 5 April 2003 5,930 1,640 4,290 
			 
			 6 to 30 April 2003 22,260 6,100 16,160 
			 May 2003 21,030 5,830 15,200 
			 June 2003 26,360 7,070 19,290 
			 July 2003 33,720 8,690 25,030 
			 August 2003 26,100 7,150 18,950 
			 September 2003 34,910 8,910 26,000 
			 October 2003 29,390 7,960 21,430 
			 November 2003 31,200 9,730 21,470 
			 December 2003 26,720 8,300 18,430 
			 January 2004 33,000 9,890 23,110 
			 February 2004 32,060 9,370 22,690 
			 March 2004 50,880 15,280 35,600 
			 1 to 5 April 2004 3,120 970 2,150 
			 
			 6 to 30 April 2004 24,540 7,510 17,030 
			 May 2004 29,570 8,650 20,920 
			 June 2004 35,620 12,040 23,580 
			 July 2004 34,970 13,380 21,590 
			 August 2004 26,120 10,830 15,290 
			 September 2004 33,330 14,740 18,600 
			 October 2004 34,810 15,470 19,330 
			 November 2004 41,540 19,330 22,210 
			 December 2004 33,240 16,800 16,450 
			 January 2005 29,050 13,490 15,560 
			 February 2005 42,820 21,170 21,650 
			 March 2005 66,560 35,010 31,550 
			 1 to 5 April 2005 7,570 3,940 3,630 
			 
			 6 to 30 April 2005 37,260 19,540 17,710 
			 May 2005 41,030 21,520 19,510 
			 June 2005 64,150 34,360 29,800 
			 July 2005 53,740 28,250 25,490 
			 August 2005 51,570 28,320 23,250 
			 September 2005 66,130 37,240 28,890 
			 October 2005 52,740 29,590 23,150 
			 November 2005 59,790 32,830 26,950 
			 December 2005 46,350 26,960 19,390 
			 January 2006 70,890 40,780 30,120 
			 February 2006 48,190 28,370 19,830 
			 March 2006 63,740 37,140 26,600 
			 1 to 5 April 2006 6,810 3,740 3,070 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. April figures are shown as part months because the data cover financial years.  Source: 100 per cent sample at 17 June 2006 from the national insurance recording system (NIRS).

National Insurance Numbers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers on the Departmental Central Index related to people  (a) now deceased,  (b) who live abroad and receive no benefits,  (c) who live abroad and receive benefits and  (d) aged under 16 years in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer I gave him on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 891W.

National Insurance Numbers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what strategies have been  (a) developed and  (b) implemented by his Department since June 2001 to ensure that national insurance numbers are issued, used and controlled consistently.

James Plaskitt: The Department is committed to ensuring that national insurance numbers (NINOs) are issued, used and controlled correctly. We will continue to develop and implement strategies and processes to enable us to achieve this commitment.
	In April 2001, we introduced the Secure NINO allocation process which guards against identity fraud. This process ensures a consistent robust approach to NINO allocation for both benefit and employment-related applications for a NINO. It includes face-to-face interviews to build up a picture of an individual's circumstances. Document examination checks are applied to ensure the authenticity of any documentary evidence provided in support of the application; and there are corroborative checks with third parties to verify information supplied during the interview. Only when we are satisfied as to the individual's identity will a NINO be allocated.
	From July 2006 a right to work pre-condition for all employment-related NINO applications was introduced. This prevents anyone who does not have the right to work from being allocated a NINO for employment purposes.

National Insurance Numbers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases his Department discovered where  (a) an individual was using more than one national insurance number and  (b) a number was used by more than one individual in each year since 2001.

James Plaskitt: When a person applies for a national insurance number (NINO), full identity checks are carried out at a face-to-face interview. If there is any suspicion around the validity of the identity documents, they are referred to the National Identity Fraud Unit (NIFU).
	If NIFU are advised of a NINO being used by another person, the account is flagged as having a NIFU interest. If there is any benefit activity on that account, action is taken immediately to investigate suspected fraud.
	The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Individuals found to be using more than one national insurance number 
			   Number of cases 
			 2001 586 
			 2002 447 
			 2003 303 
			 2004 513 
			 2005 497 
			 2006 534 
		
	
	
		
			  Cases of a national insurance number being used by more than one individual 
			   Number of cases 
			 2001 2,539 
			 2002 2,418 
			 2003 2,533 
			 2004 1,896 
			 2005 1,991 
			 2006 1,984 
			  Source: Departmental Central Index frontline services

Parliamentary Questions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the guidance notes he issues to civil servants on answering written parliamentary questions.

Anne McGuire: The Department's guidance notes on answering written parliamentary questions have been placed in the Library.

Pension Credit: Scotland

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to encourage the take up of pension credit in Edinburgh.

James Purnell: The Pension Service is undertaking a wide range of steps to encourage eligible pensioners to claim pension credit.
	The Pension Service Local Service offers face-to-face visits to the most eligible and vulnerable pensioners during which full benefit entitlement checks are carried out. One million home visits will be carried out during 2006-07.
	30,834 effective visits were completed within the Edinburgh and West Lothian cluster from April 2006 to December 2006, resulting in 825 pension credit applications. Of those, 446 awards were made between April 2006 and September 2006.
	We are writing to everyone who we believe may have an entitlement to pension credit, encouraging them to apply. Over two million mailings are planned through 2006-07.
	We are broadening the appeal of pension credit by focusing our contacts with pensioners much more on their needs as a whole. The Pension Service Local Service is continuing to work very closely with local partners (including local authorities and voluntary organisations such as Help the Aged and Age Concern) to maximise take up of pension credit. We are widening the scope of partnership activity and expanding our current work programme with key utilities and other major companies whose customers include likely eligible non-recipients to pension credit. These activities are being supported by national press advertising to maintain the high profile of pension credit. Local marketing and media campaigns will be targeted in those regions and areas where there are relatively high numbers of eligible non-recipients.
	In addition, we are improving our service and encouraging take up by enabling new customers who call to claim their state pension, to also apply for pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit in a single call if appropriate.

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the basis is for the increase in the projected cost of employed contributions to personal accounts from 2.6 billion to 2.8 billion, as set out on page 102 of the White Paper Personal Accounts: a new way to save.

James Purnell: The estimate was updated to reflect the availability of more recent data on the number of employees, and their salaries, that will benefit from the introduction of personal accounts.
	The revised estimate is based on the 2005 datasets of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and the Small and Medium Enterprise Statistics. The previous estimate was based on 2004 data.

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the basis is for the projected increase in set-up and running costs to employers of the personal accounts scheme as set out on page 106 of the White Paper Personal Accounts: a new way to save.

James Purnell: The Government have revised the estimate using the standard cost model to reflect refined assumptions about the detailed processes employers will need to undertake to set up and run a personal accounts scheme and the time that these will take (annex 1 of the regulatory impact assessment, Personal Accounts: a new way to save provides details).
	As explained in the regulatory impact assessment, Personal Accounts: a new way to save, a degree of uncertainty remains due to the sensitivity of this estimate to assumptions made. The cross-government analytical group mentioned in the regulatory impact assessment, Personal Accounts: a new way to save (paragraph 4.104) has been set up and is continuing to work to refine these assumptions and estimates.

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will reconsider his decision to set the annual contribution limit to personal accounts at a minimum of 5,000; and if he will commission research into the impact of a range of alternative contribution limits on existing pension funds.

James Purnell: The White Paper, Personal Accounts: a new way to save, was clear that this was an issue for further consultation and we look forward to receiving a range of analysis and views on this issue. The final decision will balance the twin aims of focusing personal accounts on moderate to low earners and allowing sufficient flexibility for individuals within the scheme who wish to save more.

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the contribution limit of 10,000 in the first year of personal accounts proposed in the White Paper Personal Accounts: a new way to save on the level of saving between 2008-09 to 2012-13.

James Purnell: The Government are keen to create the right environment for retirement saving, both in the run-up to the implementation of automatic enrolment and personal accounts in 2012, and beyond. Following the publication of the White Paper Personal accounts: a new way to save, the Government are consulting on an annual contribution limit into a personal account of 5,000, in order to focus the new scheme on the target market. However, the White Paper proposed a higher limit, of 10,000, in the first year of personal accounts, in order to help any individuals with accumulated non-pension savings to consolidate that saving into their personal account. We will continue to work with stakeholders in the financial services industry and elsewhere in examining this and other ways of promoting saving in the period before 2012.

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the impact on the final personal account pension fund of an individual on median earnings aged  (a) 25,  (b) 35 and  (c) 45 of phasing in employer contributions to personal accounts proposed in the White Paper Personal Accounts: a new way to save over (i) four years, (ii) five years and (iii) six years.

James Purnell: The minimum employer contribution of 3 per cent. will be included in the primary legislation that establishes personal accounts. This minimum contribution will be phased in over three years: 1 per cent. in the year personal accounts is launched, rising to 2 per cent. in second year, then 3 per cent. in year three, which will continue in perpetuity. A three-year phased introduction of contribution will help employers adjust during the introduction of personal accounts, while enabling individuals to achieve scheme minimum saving levels as soon as possible.
	The following table shows the impact of different phasing lengths.
	Figures in the table are in 2006-07 earnings terms and are rounded to the nearest 100.
	
		
			   
			  Age in 2012  Final pension pot with three year phasing  Final pension pot with four year phasing  Final pension pot with five year phasing  Final pension pot with six year phasing 
			 25 78,400 77,300 76,200 75,000 
			 35 56,800 55,800 54,700 53,700 
			 45 33,400 32,500 31,600 30,700 
			  Notes: 1. This figure is for illustrative purposes only. It should not be used as the basis for individual decisions as specific circumstances or variation from the underlying assumptions will lead to different results. 2. The base assumptions used here are the same as those underpinning the analysis in 'Financial incentives to save for retirement' (which are detailed in Appendix A of this publication).

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he made of the possibility of using a fixed annual management charge rather than one based on a percentage of fund size for personal accounts as proposed in the White Paper Personal Accounts: a new way to save.

James Purnell: Following their December White Paper Personal accounts: a new way to save the Government are consulting on the appropriate method of charging members for personal accounts.
	We have received representations suggesting a number of alternative charge structures and, at this stage, are not ruling anything out or in.
	As set out in paragraph 4.11 Personal accounts: a new way to save, the ideal charge structure for personal accounts would have the following attributes:
	Simple and easy to understand (for example, easily comparable to other pension products in the market);
	Fair to all members, taking into account an individual's ability to pay;
	Incentivises the scheme operator to maximise the fund value;
	Incentivises members to help keep costs down; and
	Provides significant revenue in the early years of operation, thus reducing the amount and length of operating losses, and reducing financing costs.

Recruitment Agencies

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department paid to recruitment agencies for the hire of temporary staff in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Since its formation in June 2001 until July 2006, the Department's business units made their own arrangements to engage temporary staff. Therefore information about payments to recruitment agencies during this period is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Since July 2006, the Department has engaged temporary staff via a centralised framework agreement. From July to December 2006, the Department has spent 216,574 through this framework.

Social Security Benefits

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people were in receipt of direct payments in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much was spent in the form of direct payments to disabled people in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 5 February 2007
	The direct payments scheme is run by the Department of Health. Cash payments are made in lieu of social service provisions to individuals who have been assessed as needing services.
	The Department for Work and Pensions operates the direct payment system, which is the branding for paying benefits and pensions directly into bank accounts. More than 98 per cent. of all DWP customers are paid this way.
	The table shows the number of DWP customers in Great Britain paid by direct payment in each of the last five years.
	The information relating to disabled people is not available in the requested format. But we do know that in December 2006 around 97 per cent. of customers (just over 3 million people) who have their benefits paid by the Disability and Carers Service were paid into an account.
	
		
			   Customers with all of their benefits paid by direct payment  Customers with some of their benefits paid by direct payment  Total paid by direct payment 
			 2002 6,133,660 631,640 6,765,300 
			 2003 7,191,850 786,630 7,978,480 
			 2004 12,282,820 804,700 13,087,520 
			 2005 15,595,720 112,640 15,708,360 
			 2006 15,843,310 96,640 15,939,950 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been provided by DWP Information Directorate from a scan run in November of each of the five years. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Child benefit is now administered by HMRC and War Pensions is now administered by MOD. These benefits have therefore been excluded. 4. Figures for 2003-06 include Post Office card accounts. The Post Office card account was introduced in April 2003. 5. The numbers paid via direct payment increase significantly from 2003 onwards because the Government migrated customers from order books to direct payment between 2003 and 2005.

State Second Pension

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people are in receipt of the state second pension, broken down by sex;
	(2)  what the average weekly amount paid to those in receipt of the state second pension is per pensioner;
	(3)  how many pensioners receive state second pension payments of  (a) less than 20,  (b) between 20 and 50 and  (c) more than 50.

James Purnell: Just under 20 million people will gain from the state second pension which was introduced in April 2002. Of these around four million carers and people with disabilities are building up entitlement for the first time.
	The number of state pension recipients with state second pension by gender and amount in payment as at 31 March 2006 is in the following table:
	
		
			   All  Less then 20 
			 All 822,500 822,400 
			 Male 380,600 380,600 
			 Female 441 ,900 441,900 
		
	
	The numbers of recipients receiving between 20 and 50 and more than 50 are nil or negligible.
	The average weekly amount of state second pension paid as at March 2006 is 4.18.
	As a result of our proposed reforms around one million more people will build up entitlement to state second pension from 2010, 90 per cent. of whom will be women.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. Figures have been adjusted to be consistent with WPLS data and rounded to the nearest 100.
	3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	 Source: DWP, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample, adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload in Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Unemployed Disabled People

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) deaf and  (b) blind and partially sighted people who are unemployed; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: There are estimated to be around 3,000 people who have difficulty hearing and are unemployed. An additional 17,000 people who have difficulty hearing are estimated to be out of work but not actively seeking work. Separate figures for the numbers who are deaf and unemployed are not available.
	There are estimated to be around 3,000 people who are blind or visually impaired and unemployed. An additional 42,000 people who are blind or visually impaired are estimated to be out of work but not actively seeking work.
	 Notes:
	1. Estimates are averages across four quarters and rounded to the nearest 1,000.
	2. The number of people who are deaf and unemployed is not available because this information is not collected in the Labour Force Survey.
	3. The estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey and are therefore subject to sampling errors. As a result, the above estimates for numbers unemployed may be up to 20 per cent. higher or lower than the true value.
	 Source:
	Labour Force Survey 2005-06.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Advertising

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much her Department spent on advertising with  The Guardian newspaper, including online, in the last year for which figures are available.

Hilary Armstrong: My Department uses a range of national and local newspapers for advertising.
	Specifically, in 2005-06 my Department spent 73,000 on advertising with  The Guardian newspaper.

Cabinet Office

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will break down by main budget heading the budget lines  (a) Supporting the Prime Minister,  (b) Supporting the Cabinet,  (c) Strengthening the Civil Service,  (d) the Office of Public Sector Information,  (e) ERM project and  (f) Independent Offices identified in the Cabinet Office annual report; and what the budget was for each category in 2005-06.

Hilary Armstrong: Expenditure incurred in 2005-06, broken down by main budget headings and shown by the groupings requested, can be found in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			   Pay  Non-pay  Income 
			 Supporting the Prime Minister(1) 23 29 3 
			 Supporting the Cabinet(1) 37 107 44 
			 Strengthening the Civil Service 13 22 15 
			 Office of Public Sector Information 1 2 1 
			 ERM project(2) 0 0 0 
			 Independent Offices 1 1 0 
			 (1) Figures differ slightly from the 2005-06 estimated outturn figures shown in the Cabinet Office annual report due to late accounting adjustments.  (2) Total expenditure for the ERM project in 2005-06 was less than 0.5 million.

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1517W, on compensation payments, what the nature was of the cases involving  (a) the accident at work,  (b) the purchase of land and  (c) cancellation fees/expenses; and whether any of the special payments were caused by IT failure.

Hilary Armstrong: The nature of the cases mentioned in my reply to the hon. Gentleman's earlier question is as follows:
	 (a) an injury to an employee as a result of a fall in one of my Department's offices;
	 (b) the use of land for security purposes; and
	 (c) two separate cases when individual employees needed to cancel personal engagements, incurring expenses as a result, due to essential work commitments.
	I can confirm that none of the special payments made were caused by IT failure.

Ministers: Code of Practice

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on how many occasions since May 1997 the Accounting Officer in the Cabinet Office has indicated that a course of action being considered would breach the requirements of propriety and regularity set out in section 3.3 of the Ministerial Code.

Hilary Armstrong: Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not disclosed, as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion and advice.

Parliamentary Questions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 937W, on parliamentary questions, on what grounds she has declined the request to place in the Library a copy of the internal guidance used for internal purposes.

Hilary Armstrong: The internal guidance, which takes account of the requirements of the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Cabinet Office Guidance to Officials on Drafting Answers to Parliamentary Questions is for internal purposes only.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Admiralty House

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what payments her Department is making to the Cabinet Office for the use of the official ministerial residence of the Lord Chancellor in Admiralty House.

Bridget Prentice: The Department for Constitutional Affairs meets the cost of the official residence used by the Lord Chancellor. Detail of costs will not be available until after the end of the financial year.

Departmental Contracts

John Grogan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which public affairs firms were given contracts by  (a) her Department and  (b) public bodies sponsored by her Department in each of the last five years; and what the purpose was of each contract.

Vera Baird: The Commission for Judicial Appointments, which was constitutionally independent of the Department, engaged Luther Pendragon from 2002 to March 2006. The Commissioners wished to promote their views of the merits of the judicial appointment processes independently of the Government.
	No other public affairs contracts have been awarded either by my Department or the public bodies it sponsors in the last five years.

Elections: Pilot Schemes

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which of the local election pilot schemes taking place in 2007 have held a similar pilot scheme in previous elections.

Bridget Prentice: Of the 13 local authorities that have been approved to undertake pilot schemes at the May 2007 local elections, seven have held a similar pilot in previous elections.
	Broxbourne, Gateshead and Sunderland have previously held advance voting pilots. Rushmoor, Sheffield, Shrewsbury and Atcham, and Swindon have previously held electronic voting pilots.

Freedom of Information: Bassetlaw District Council

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appeals have been made to the Information Commissioner against refusals by Bassetlaw district council of freedom of information requests.

Vera Baird: Since January 2005 the Information Commissioner's Office has received two complaints under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, section 50 about the refusal of Bassetlaw district council to provide information.

Government Auctions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs where her Department publishes information about Government auctions which it arranges or to which it contributes in  (a) Blackpool,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the North West; and when the next such auction will take place in each area.

Bridget Prentice: My Department does not arrange or contribute to auctions in the areas referred to in the question.

Legal Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many legal aid practices specialising in  (a) housing,  (b) family law,  (c) debt,  (d) benefits,  (e) criminal law,  (f) personal injury law and  (g) asylum and immigration law there were in each year since 1997.

Vera Baird: Figures are not available for 1997 to 2000. From 2000, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) introduced contracting with quality-assured solicitors and not-for-profit organisations to provide advice and assistance to clients in certain categories of civil law. The number of specialist contracts held by legal aid practices in each civil category at 31 March each year is as follows:
	
		
			   Family  Housing  Welfare benefits  Debt  Immigration( 1)  Personal injury 
			 2000 4,243 840 673 618 483 2,333 
			 2001 4,039 788 636 549 548 1,888 
			 2002 3,760 707 588 515 591 1,494 
			 2003 3,595 662 556 475 644 1,368 
			 2004 3,273 598 506 418 604 1,197 
			 2005 3,118 604 483 405 498 1,052 
			 2006 2,887 587 459 401 367 960 
			 (1) Asylum is a sub-category of immigration. 
		
	
	While the number of contracts has fallen since 2001, in 2005-06 the number of civil acts of assistance reached its highest since 2000 at 708,510.
	From 2001, the LSC introduced contracting for services provided under the Criminal Defence Service and the number of contracts held by legal aid practices at 31 March each year is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000 3,500 
			 2001 2,925 
			 2002 2,909 
			 2003 2,900 
			 2004 2,669 
			 2005 2,643 
			 2006 2,608

Legal Aid

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether her Department takes into account loans previously received on  (a) a commercial basis and  (b) by private arrangement when adjudging the potential income of applicants for legal aid.

Vera Baird: The Legal Services Commission (LSC), when assessing the capital or income of an applicant for civil legal aid, may take into account any funds received through a commercial or private loan. The first 100,000 of any disputed assets can be disregarded from the means assessment process, as can up to 100,000 of any outstanding mortgage. Moreover, in assessing an applicant's financial eligibility for civil legal aid, the LSC may take into account the resources of other persons where either another person has been maintaining the applicant or their partner, or resources from another person have been made available to the applicant or their partner.
	In assessing the income of an applicant for criminal legal aid in the magistrates court, those with a weighted gross income of between 11,591 and 20,739 will have mortgage repayments in respect of their main dwelling taken into consideration by the LSC in assessing their disposable income.

Legal Aid

Si�n James: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what mechanisms are in place to prevent  (a) repetitious and  (b) fraudulent legal aid claims in child custody cases.

Vera Baird: The Legal Services Commission's Funding Code Procedures allow a client in private family law proceedings only one legal aid certificate at any one time in respect of the same family relationship.
	The procedures also allow for funding to be revoked if the client has made an untrue or misleading statement, or failed to disclose a material fact, in connection with their legal aid application.

Local Authorities: High Court

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average length of time is between the filing of a defence and the hearing of a case in the High Court in cases where a local authority's local plan is challenged; and if she will take steps to reduce the time taken to hear such cases.

Vera Baird: Information on the average length of time between the filing of a defence and the hearing of a case in the High Court in cases where a local authority's local plan is challenged is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Lord Chancellor: Functions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answers of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 343W, and 13 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1071W, on the Lord Chancellor (Functions), what the estimated cost to the public purse was of each of the seven functions in the Lord Chancellor's official residence in Admiralty House; how many people attended each such function; and what the purpose was of each function.

Bridget Prentice: The costs for these functions are accounted for in the usual way and are not yet available. Information relating to the use of the Lord Chancellor's residence, including costs, will be available at the end of the financial year.

Magistrates Courts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations she has received from magistrates on administrative changes in the types of cases heard in particular courts in the 2006-07 financial year.

Harriet Harman: I regularly meet magistrates to discuss a broad range of criminal, civil and family justice issues.

Magistrates Courts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent changes there have been in the level of training offered to magistrates; what assessment she has made of the effect of the lack of training offered to magistrates on defendants' rights under the Human Rights Act 1998; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: A minimum level of training for magistrates is agreed annually between the Judicial Studies Board and Her Majesty's Courts Service. There has been no significant change in this minimum requirement recently.
	All magistrates, and their legal advisers who advise them on the appropriate legislation and case law in individual cases, were trained in the provisions of the Human Rights Act before it came into force on 2 October 2000. Since then, the Act has been part of domestic UK law, so its provisions are always considered and where appropriate incorporated in the preparation and delivery of magistrates' training. There have been no indications that insufficient training is being provided to magistrates on human rights.

Voting Methods: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent representations she has received on  (a) postal and  (b) proxy voting in London.

Bridget Prentice: Since my previous answer on 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 472W, we have not received any letters from members of the public or MPs about postal and proxy voting in London. My right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State Department for Constitutional Affairs, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, answered a parliamentary question in the other place from Lord Greaves on 6 November 2006,  Official Report, column WA 83, about the Metropolitan Police Authority report of 26 October 2006 on 'Electoral offences in London following the local elections of May 2006'.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Air Pollution

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to reduce the reliance in the UK on the use of chlorofluorocarbons permitted under the Montreal Protocol.

Malcolm Wicks: Production and consumption of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the UK has been phased out except for a few specialised uses.

Bio-energy Capital Grants Scheme

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the grants awarded under the bio-energy capital grants scheme toward biomass generation projects; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Launched in February 2002, the original 66 million scheme, joint-funded by DTI and the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund was designed to encourage the development of biomass power stations and biomass-sourced heat, using both established and new technologies and to provide markets for dedicated energy crops.
	In 2006 the National Lotterynow the Big Lottery Fund (BIG)used unallocated scheme funds of 2.2 million to provide a second competitive round of funding and awarded seven further grants last September.
	In December 2006, Defra announced a five-year continuation of the scheme to support the installation of biomass-fuelled heat and combined heat and power projects in the industrial, commercial and community sectors in England, with funding of 10 to 15 million available for the first two years. This funding round is currently open for applications.
	The combined projects previously and presently supported by DTI, BIG and Defra under the bio-energy capital grants scheme are as follows.
	
		
			  Priority 1ALarge scale electricity generation, greater than 20MWe fuelled by energy crops National Lottery New Opportunities Fund 
			  Applicant/project name  Status  Location  MWe/MWth  Grant ( million) 
			 United Utilities/Herefordshire Biomass Project Offer declined Hereford 22/0 10.944 
			 Enron Teeside/Wilton 10 (Became SembCorp Utilities/Wilton 10) Building Teeside 30/0 11.900 
			 Powergen/Proposal for a 30 MWe Biomass Fuelled Electricity Generating Station at Killingholme, Lincolnshire (Became E.ON Renewables Stevens Croft, Lockerbie) Building Lincs (Became Scotland) 30/0 18.000 
		
	
	
		
			  Priority 1BElectricity generation and CHP over IMWe from energy crops, forestry wood fuels and agricultural by products. Department of Trade and Industry 
			  Applicant/project name  Status  Location  MWe/MWth  Grant ( million) 
			 Bronzeoak/6.88 MWe Biomass Combined Cycle Gasification CHP Plant Offer declined Somerset 6.9/1.5 3.8 
			 Eccleshall Biomass/Fanning for Energy Building Staffs 2.2/0 0.48 
			 Charlton Energy Ltd. Planning Gloucester 7/7 2.0 
			 Western LogFortum/Port Talbot Bio-Energy Plant. An advanced l0MWe biomass power plant firing clean wood residues Building Wales 10/0 4.65 
			 Roves Energy/Farmers Fuelling the Future Planning Wilts 2/0 0.96 
			 Balcas/The conversion of the energy in wood into CHP and the production of wood pellets Operating Northern Ireland 2/10 2.03 
			 EPRLArjo Wiggins/The Corpach Biomass Plant Planning Fort William 5/26 5.04 
		
	
	
		
			  Priority 2Advanced conversion technologies Department of Trade and Industry 
			  Applicant/project name  Status  Location  MWe/MWth  Grant ( million) 
			 Peninsula Power Ltd./Winkleigh Biomass Phase 1 . (Offer subsequently withdrawn) Offer withdrawn Devon 22 11.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Priority 3A biomass heating clusters National Lottery New Opportunities Fund 
			  Lead company  Project  Grant awarded () 
			 Econergy Ltd. Ecoheat Clusters Development Project 1,060,080 
			 Wood Energy Ltd. Biomass Heating Clusters in South West England and Lincolnshire 903,837 
			 Rural Energy Ltd. Rural Energy East Midlands Wood Hearing Network 879,060 
			 Woodland Ed. Trust LignathermSE Regional Wood Heat Supply Company 112,750 
			 Fermanagh Business Initiative (became Maurice Stevenson Ltd.) Biomass for Sustainable Development (became Fermanagh Schools renewables initiative) 96,610 
			 Torren Energy (became Buccleuch Bioenergy) Torren Energy Scottish Biomass Heat Clusters (Priority 3A) 580,655 
			 Welsh Biofuels Ltd. The Wales Biocluster Project 347,970 
		
	
	
		
			  Priority 3B industrial and commercial biomass heating Department of Trade and Industry 
			  Lead company  Project  Award () 
			 Econergy Ltd. Industrial Ecoheat Development Project 335,940 
			 Countryside Properties Ltd. (declined offer) Cliveden Community 195,000 
			 Nottinghamshire county council (became RENU) Nottinghamshire Woodheat Project 197,600 
			 Torren Energy (became Buccleuch Bioenergy) Torren Energy Scottish Biomass Heat Clusters (priority 3B) 193,552 
		
	
	Following round 2 in 2006 there are a further seven projects that are being supported by the National Lottery Big Lottery Fund.
	
		
			  Table 2 Priority 3a (heat only) projects recommended for funding 
			  Lead company  Project  Country  Grant awarded () 
			 Nottinghamshire county council Nottingham Woodheat Programme England 500,000 
			 Highland Wood Energy Limited Cluster of installations. Scotland 262,240 
			 3G Energi Ltd. 3G Energi Woodheat Scotland 262,944 
			 The National Trust The NATHEN Project England 494,568 
			 Midlands Wood Fuel Limited Midlands Wood Fuel England 359,975 
			 Dulas Ltd. Powys county council/Mostyn Hall Wales 204,963 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 Priority 3c (CHP) projects recommended for funding 
			  Lead company  Project  Country  Award () 
			 Lowry Renaissance Limited Titanic Mill Biomass CHP Project England 100,000

Burma

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what process the Government would have to follow to ban British companies from investing in Burma.

Ian McCartney: The Government have a long-standing policy of discouraging British firms from trading with or investing in Burma. We offer no commercial services to companies wishing to trade or invest there and British firms who inquire about trade with Burma are informed of the grave political situation and the regime's atrocious human rights record.
	Very few UK companies choose to invest in Burma because of the regime's economic mismanagement and corrupt business climate. We believe that multilateral sanctions are more effective and for this reason we support the EU Common Position.

Burma

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government have the power to stop British companies providing goods and services to the  (a) military regime in Burma,  (b) state-owned companies in Burma and  (c) companies owned or controlled by business people linked to the military regime in Burma.

Ian McCartney: The Government have a long-standing policy of discouraging British firms from trading with or investing in Burma. We offer no commercial services to companies wishing to trade or invest there. British firms who inquire about trade with Burma are informed of the grave political situation and the regime's atrocious human rights record. We have consistently supported measures that target those responsible for the regime's policies.
	Trade policy is the competence of the European Commission, and therefore any action would need to be taken at Community level.
	Very few UK companies choose to invest in Burma because of the regime's economic mismanagement and corrupt business climate. We believe that multilateral sanctions are more effective and for this reason we support the EU Common Position.

Burma

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government have the power to ban the export of luxury items to Burma.

Ian McCartney: Trade policy is the competence of the European Commission, and therefore any action would need to be taken at Community level.
	Very few UK companies choose to invest in Burma because of the regime's economic mismanagement and corrupt business climate. We believe that multilateral sanctions are more effective and for this reason we support the EU Common Position.

Burma

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the extent of British trade with Burma; and which British companies are the main exporters to Burma.

Ian McCartney: The Government have a long-standing policy of not encouraging British firms to trade with or invest in Burma. We offer no commercial services or support to companies wishing to trade with or invest in Burma. British companies who enquire about trade with Burma are informed of the grave political situation, the regime's atrocious record on human rights and the country's dire economic prospects.
	For the period January to November 2006, the UK's exports of goods to Burma amounted to 3.2 million. This is a fall of 66.9 per cent. over the same period in 2005 when UK exports were 9.7 million. We do not maintain details of British companies exports to overseas markets.
	Very few UK companies choose to invest in Burma because of the regime's economic mismanagement and corrupt business climate. We believe that multilateral sanctions are more effective and for this reason we support the EU Common Position.

Business Start-ups

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses have started up on average per month in each region of the UK since January 1995.

Margaret Hodge: Value added tax (VAT) registrations and de-registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business start-ups and closures. DTI data on the average number of VAT registrations per month in each region of the UK from 1995 to 2005 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Average number of VAT registrations per month for each region in the UK, 1995 to 2005( 1) 
			   1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 United Kingdom 13,479 13,838 15,223 15,184 14,743 14,909 14,168 14,743 15,935 15,315 14,827 
			 North East 335 335 338 342 349 356 348 366 408 372 375 
			 North West 1,328 1,340 1,475 1,462 1,406 1,430 1,374 1,449 1,584 1,507 1,458 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 920 945 991 984 978 1,000 972 1,037 1,153 1,088 1,058 
			 East Midlands 873 889 955 960 932 968 938 998 1,070 1,032 1,001 
			 West Midlands 1,098 1,103 l,215 1,228 1,204 l,216 l,177 1,217 l,318 1,263 1,218 
			 East 1,323 1,343 1,528 1,462 1,404 1,469 1,388 1,485 1,561 1,485 1,483 
			 London 2,567 2,684 2,985 3,141 3,018 3,028 2,783 2,746 2,979 2,943 2,826 
			 South East 2,183 2,235 2,517 2,480 2,402 2,403 2,271 2,388 2,563 2,400 2,308 
			 South West 1,119 1,195 1,325 1,306 1,278 1,282 1,205 1,296 1,385 1,291 1,243 
			 England 11,745 12,068 13,328 13,363 12,969 13,151 12,455 12,981 14,021 13,380 12,970 
			 Wales 490 511 526 514 510 524 502 536 595 587 536 
			 Scotland 937 949 1,040 995 959 945 915 928 998 998 960 
			 Northern Ireland 308 310 329 312 305 288 296 299 320 350 361 
			 (1 )Estimates of the average number of VAT registrations per month have been produced by dividing the number in each year by 12.   Source:  SBS Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2005, available from http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vat and the Library of the House. 
		
	
	VAT registration data do not capture all business start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. In the UK as a whole, only 1.8 million out of a total of 4.3 million enterprises (42 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2005.

China: Nuclear Plants

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the value of the contract with China to provide new nuclear plants for which BNFL was competing; and what steps his Department took to assist in attempts to win this contract for a British company.

Malcolm Wicks: None. The contract negotiations with the Chinese to provide reactors were a matter primarily for Westinghouse and new owners Toshiba. Negotiations were led by Westinghouse, initially under BNFL's ownership/governance and then Toshiba's.

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 730-31W, on compensation payments, what the nature was of the inefficiency of the person dismissed on those grounds; in what area the dismissed person worked; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I am unable to provide any further details of the individual dismissed on the grounds of inefficiency, as it may be possible to identify the person concerned from the information provided. The release of such information could constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 730-31W, on compensation payments, what property was involved in each case where a payment was made for loss or damage to personal property; and why the Department was liable in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There were 26 compensation payments for loss or damage to personal property totalling 4,927.28. It would entail disproportionate cost to provide details of the property or damage in each individual case but the reasons are categorised as follows:
	
		
			
			 Lost property 614.26 
			 Damage to clothing 71.74 
			 Robbery 249.23 
			 Damage to property 885.67 
			 Damage to suitcases 290.50 
			 Stolen property or clothing 131.88 
			 Stolen money 803.94 
			 Damage to vehicles 1,776.23 
			 Medical assessment travel costs 103.83 
		
	
	In all cases the payments have been made because of loss or damage while on official business; and where the loss/damage is not covered by insurance policies; and where the Department considers it has a liability to meet the loss or damage.

Credit Reference Agencies

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many credit files on consumers held by credit reference agencies in the UK show a record of one or more county court judgments (CCJ) against a particular consumer; and how long the record of a CCJ remains on a consumer's credit file.

Ian McCartney: Records of the number of consumers who are subject to county court judgments (CCJs) are not held centrally. However, in December 2006 there were 6,319,599 CCJs held on file in the UK. Of that number, 434,471 have been satisfied - that is wholly or partly paid off.
	County court judgments are held for six years from the date of judgment on a consumer's credit file.

Departmental Art Works

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on artwork by his Department in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There has been no expenditure on works of art by the Department since 1997.

Departmental Conferences

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what conferences have been funded in whole or in part by his Department in the last 12 months; how many people attended each; and what the cost of each conference was to his Department.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not readily available and can be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Responsibilities

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his non-departmental public bodies have any role in animal (i) health and (ii) welfare.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is as follows:
	 (a) This Department supports the best use of science within Government, in animal health and welfare as in other areas.
	This Government established in May 2004 the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) to provide a centre for the promotion, development and implementation of the 3Rs in animal research and testing. The centre is funded by the Home Office, Medical Research Council, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, The Dow Chemical Company, SC Johnson, Syngenta and Unilever.
	 (b) Research into animal health and welfare is funded by Research Councils, through directed and responsive mode schemes. Animal health and welfare is one of the three major themes in the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's 2005 strategy for research in its institutes. The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has a responsibility under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 to monitor British seal populations which it discharges through its sponsorship of the Sea Mammal Research Unit. Some of NERC's research and collaborative centres also study the health of fish and bird populations.
	Any research funded by the Research Councils that necessitates the use of animals is undertaken in accordance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and the accompanying regulations.

Departmental Structure

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions are taking place on the future structure of his Department.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Machinery of Government issues are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Our focus is on delivering against the priorities and objectives we have set, and on helping to shape our objectives for the next spending review period. To support this, we of course keep our internal organisation and resources under regular review.

Departmental Training Courses

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what training courses were offered to  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 1 February 2007
	Individuals and their line managers identify learning and development needs, and the appropriate courses to attend, over the course of the year. Individuals can access a variety of courses to meet their requirements either through the Departments preferred supplier, PTSC, or other suppliers where PTSC do not offer the required training.
	Details are not held centrally as learning and development is devolved across the Department.
	Ministers make their own arrangements to identify and access learning and development for their own particular needs.

Doorstep Selling

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to protect the elderly from doorstep selling.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 2 February 2007
	On 7 September 2006, I announced the Government's response to the public consultation on doorstep selling and cold calling. These measures will provide consumers, including the elderly and vulnerable, with stronger protection from rogue door-to-door sales people. The measures will:
	 (a) give consumers similar cancellation rights and cooling off periods for all sales concluded or agreed with a trader in a consumer's home, to those consumers currently have for unsolicited visits (where they are able to cancel a contract within seven days).
	 (b) require cancellation notices to be provided within contracts; and
	 (c) encourage greater transparency on prices and greater willingness to provide written quotes.
	The Consumer Estate Agents and Redress Bill was introduced to the House of Lords on the 16 November 2006, which will provide powers to amend the regulations to allow extension of the cancellation rights and cooling-off period to solicited visits.
	The announcement has been widely welcomed by interested parties including Age Concern and Citizens Advice.
	This year we will also implement the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive into UK law, which introduces a general duty on traders not to treat consumers unfairly and provides new protections against aggressive marketing and selling methods. Cold calling is not illegal and OFT's market study in 2004 concluded that doorstep selling from reputable traders did provide some benefits to consumers. These new measures are designed to tackle rogue traders and protect vulnerable consumers.

Electric Heating

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions  (a) he and  (b) his Ministers have had with stakeholders about the merits of electric heating ahead of the publication of the Energy White Paper.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have held discussions with a variety of stakeholders on numerous issues since the publication of the Energy Review Report to inform the Energy White Paper, which we intend to publish in March.

Energy Supply Contracts

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps  (a) his Department and ( b) Ofgem has taken to encourage the making clearer and more user-friendly for small business consumers of terms and conditions in energy supply contracts; and what progress has been made.

Malcolm Wicks: The existing level of regulatory protection in respect of gas and electricity broadly reflects that in general consumer law. It is open to Ofgem to consider whether additional regulatory protection is required. I understand that the chairman of Ofgem will write to the hon. Gentleman about the information he has sought.

Engagements

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings he has had with senior representatives of British power companies since taking office; and on how many occasions such meetings have taken place.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and other DTI Ministers meet regularly with senior representatives of British power companies.
	Since taking office, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has met with the following major electricity generators:
	
		
			  Date  Electricity generator 
			 8 November 2006 British Energy 
			 13 September 2006 Centrica 
			 20 July 2006 Drax Power Limited 
			 22 June 2006 E.ON UK 
			 18 December 2006 E.ON UK 
			 19 July 2006 RWE Npower 
			 9 October 2006 Scottish Power

European Energy Review

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the European Commission's report The Strategic European Energy Review; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK welcomes the publication of the Strategic Energy Review, which delivers on the mandate first given to the Commission at Hampton Court under the UK presidency of the European Council; the publication of the climate change communication; and the final report of the sector inquiry. The publication of these documents together serves to underline that climate change and energy policy are mutually reinforcing as well as setting out concrete steps towards a coherent common energy policy for the EU so that all EU citizens can benefit from environmentally sustainable, secure and affordable energy.
	We particularly welcome the Commission placing climate change at the heart of energy policy, and the emphasis on putting the EU on track to a low carbon energy future. Tackling climate change is the greatest challenge we face and requires an international response, but it is achievable and affordable with the right policies in place, as Sir Nicholas Stern's report recently outlined.
	The UK believes that the Commission has got the overall thrust of the proposals right and that the SER can be welcomed by Heads of State and Government at the spring European Council meeting.

Flood Defences

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 303-04W, on flood defences, what the cost was at today's prices of building coastal defences at  (a) Sizewell and  (b) Dungeness nuclear sites.

Malcolm Wicks: The nuclear sites at Sizewell and Dungeness utilise soft-shore flood defences. The initial cost of establishing these structures was only a minor component of landscaping the site frontages after construction.
	The cost of maintaining flood protection works at Dungeness has been approximately 140,000 per annum in 2006 terms, with 100,000 of this being for the maintenance of the shingle recycling procedure there. The remainder is for associated surveillance, engineering and geomorphological advice which is led by BE on behalf of both station operators (BE and NDA/Magnox). The costs are apportioned between the two parties under the terms of a cross-company contract.
	At Sizewell there has been no need for engineering maintenance activities to date. The cost of surveillance and geomorphological and engineering advice over this period has been approximately 30,000 per annum in 2006 terms. BE lead on behalf of both operators with costs again apportioned under a cross-company contract.

Fur

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will issue a labelling order to ensure that fur on sale is easily identifiable by the consumer.

Ian McCartney: The Textile Products (Indications of Fibre Content) Regulations 1986 (as amended) require that all textile products bear an accurate indication of their fibre content and that the indication should consist only of EU permitted generic names for the fibres.
	In general, manufacturers who label their products must provide accurate information to consumers about a product regardless of whether it has been labelled voluntarily or through mandatory obligations, and action can be taken to prevent misleading labelling under the Trade Description Act 1968.

House Building Industry

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the contribution to the UK economy of the house building industry was in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The Department of Trade and Industry is responsible for statistics on construction in Great Britain only. The total value of public and private house building in Great Britain in 1997-2005 was:
	
		
			   million 
			   Current prices  Constant (2000) prices 
			 1997 7,983 9,911 
			 1998 8,430 9,791 
			 1999 8,419 8,884 
			 2000 9,985 9,985 
			 2001 10,234 9,420 
			 2002 12,089 9,933 
			 2003 15,362 11,205 
			 2004 19,447 12,763 
			 2005 21,063 13,072 
			  Note: Data for 2006 will be published on 2 March 2007. 
		
	
	Current prices series is the price prevailing in the relevant year.
	Constant (2000) prices series show the change in construction after the effects of inflation have been removed. This information is published in the Construction Statistics Annual 2006, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what total amount of compensation payments to mineworkers suffering from industrial diseases has been paid directly to claimants; what deductions have been made from these payments by solicitors; and what payments have been made directly to third parties including solicitors, unions and companies administering the scheme on behalf of the Government.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not deal directly with individual claimants but with their representatives. All payment cheques are therefore sent to those representatives. The Department pays those representatives separately for their costs and therefore there is no need for deductions by solicitors or others to cover legal costs.
	The Department has been made aware that deductions have been made from those compensation payments in a limited number of cases. The Department however has no powers in this respect though it had made it clear that no deductions should ever be made without the agreement of the claimant. The Law Society has investigated a number of such cases and has taken action where it has been established that there has been a breach of the Law Society rules.
	The total amount of compensation paid to mineworkers suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Vibration White Finger (VWF), and the total amounts paid to claimants' solicitors and third parties are shown in the table:
	
		
			   million 
			  at 28 January 2007  At 1 December 2006  At 1 October 2006 
			 COPD VWF Claimants Solicitors Third Parties 
			 2,036 1,396 977 982 
		
	
	Figures for third party payments include payments made to the Compensation Recovery Unit at Department of Work and Pensions.

Kuwait

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance is being given to British companies to help them to export to Kuwait.

Ian McCartney: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) provides a broad range of support services to British companies wishing to trade with or invest in Kuwait through commercial teams based in the UK and in the British embassy in Kuwait.
	As regards exports, UKTI support in Kuwait focuses on the oil and gas, construction, education and training, financial services and security sectors and is delivered in partnership with a range of key business stakeholders. A recent visit by the Lord Mayor of the City of London provided the opportunity not only to lobby for better market access for financial services, but also to promote, by means of a seminar, education and training in the financial sector. Recent visits by HRH the Duke of York in his role as UK Special Representative for Trade and Investment have been used to provide high-level support to UK firms in bidding for major projects in the oil, financial and construction sectors. A mission and seminar by British Expertise (ex BCCB) in March this year will showcase UK capabilities in the area of intelligent and energy efficient building design. In terms of inward investment the embassy works closely with the City of London and Kuwaiti institutions to maintain the current high level of investment made in and through London.

Kuwait

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the amount of  (a) agricultural,  (b) service sector and  (c) military exports from the UK to Kuwait was in 2005-06.

Ian McCartney: The information is as follows.
	 (a) UK exports of food and animals to Kuwait were worth about 24.8 million in 2005 and 23.3 million from January to November 2006.
	 (b) Data for UK exports of services to Kuwait are not available. The ONS UK Balance of Payments Pink Book gives a figure of 3,819 million for UK exports of services in 2005 to Gulf Arabian countries other than Saudi Arabia.
	 (c) Data for military exports are not available by country. The MOD UK Defence Statistics gives an estimate of 207 million for identified defence equipment exports to the Middle East and North Africa, though these estimates are outside the scope of National Statistics.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons grants of up to 30,000 will no longer be available for small community groups under Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

Malcolm Wicks: The higher than anticipated demand from the household stream under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 meant that the limited funds available to householders would have been exhausted by early 2007. As a result, we announced on 25 October 2006 that 6.2 million from the 28.5 million budget would be re-allocated to the household stream in order to satisfy demand through to June 2008. This re-allocation of funding to the household stream was made possible by transferring the majority of pubic and non-profit sector projects to the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2, where 50 million of funding is being made available to specifically support projects in the public and non-profit sectors.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons a monthly cap of 500,000 has been introduced on grant allocations to domestic renewable energy installers under Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

Malcolm Wicks: Since the launch of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 in April 2006, the higher than anticipated demand from the household stream meant that the limited funds available to householders would have been exhausted by early 2007. By introducing a monthly cap, it will contribute to funding household installations through to June 2008, when some of our wider measures to promote microgeneration should be taking hold.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the budget is of the Low Carbon Building Programme.

Malcolm Wicks: The programme has a total budget of 80 million divided into two phases. When the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 was launched in April 2006, there was a budget of 30 million to be allocated to successful projects over three years. Of this amount, 1.5 million was brought forward for use on the Clear Skies and Solar PV Major Demonstration Programmes to smooth the transition between these legacy programmes, and the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. A further 50 million has been made available for the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2, which was launched in December 2006, providing funding specifically for the public and non-profit sectors.

Low Carbon Heating

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions  (a) he and  (b) his Ministers have had with stakeholders about the potential role of electricity in providing low carbon heating ahead of the publication of the Energy White Paper.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have held discussions with a variety of stakeholders on numerous issues since the publication of the Energy Review Report to inform the Energy White Paper, which we intend to publish in March.

Medical Research

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) real terms and  (b) percentage change was in Government funding for medical research between 1997 and 2006.

Malcolm Wicks: Government funding for medical research is provided through (i) the Medical Research Council and (ii) the national health service research and development budget. Between 1997-98 and 2005-06 there has been  (a) a 29.2 per cent. real terms increase and  (b) a 56.8 per cent. cash increase in budget allocations.
	
		
			   1997-98 ( million)  2005-06 ( million)  Cash terms (percentage)  Real terms (percentage) 
			 Medical Research Council 289 504 74.4 43.7 
			 NHS R and D 426 617 44.8 19.4 
			 Net government funding 715 1,121 56.8 29.2 
		
	
	The Medical Research Council figures are the Science Budget Allocations from the Department for Trade and Industry. The NHS R and D budget figures have been provided by the Department of Health.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how often the Nanotechnology Issues Dialogue Group meets; and what advice it has given the Government on the strategic direction of Government policy on nanotechnology.

Malcolm Wicks: The Nanotechnology Issues Dialogue Group meets approximately every three months. It is not an advisory body. Its primary role is to co-ordinate and monitor the delivery of Government policy and activities on nanotechnology described in the Government's response to the report by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering: Nanoscience and nanotechnologies: opportunities and uncertainties.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to encourage universities  (a) to engage in the nanotechnology debate and  (b) to carry out nanotechnology research activities.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government are committed to addressing the science and society agenda as it relates to nanotechnologies. A substantial programme of public engagement on nanotechnologies has involved universities, scientists and research councils. Beyond this, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser has developed Rigour, respect and responsibility: a universal ethical code for scientists that includes guidance on engagement and communication. Similarly, the research councils provide their PhD students with a range of training modules to enhance their research skills. Social and ethical reflection and science communication are part of these research training requirements.
	Research councils fund fundamental nanoscience and nanotechnology research and encourage applicants to submit research proposals, for example by issuing subject-specific highlight notices such as the one the Medical Research Council is currently finalising for nanotoxicology. Research councils, Government Departments and their agencies are working together to encourage the development of nanotechnology research capacity in university departments, for example, through the Environmental Nanoscience Initiative, which is funded by Defra, the Natural Environment Research Council and the Environment Agency and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's future strategy for nanotechnology. There is representation from academia on the task forces set up under the cross-Government Nanotechnology Research Coordination Group to take forward health, safety and environment-related nanotechnology research objectives. DTI and the research councils encourage the participation of universities in science-to-business collaborative R and D projects under the DTI Technology Programme. The Government also encourage UK researchers to take full advantage of the significant nanotechnology funding opportunities in the EU Framework Programme 7.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what ways the independent regulatory review the Department commissioned to identify regulatory gaps has informed the Government's approach to nanotechnology.

Malcolm Wicks: On 21 December 2006 this Department published on its website the report: An Overview of the Framework of Current Regulation Affecting the Development and Marketing of Nanomaterials (at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file36167.pdf). This was produced by the Economic and Social Research Council Centre for Business Relationships Accountability Sustainability and Society (BRASS) at Cardiff university. The Government are currently considering the conclusions of this recent report.

Nuclear Power Stations

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate of the number of new nuclear power stations likely to be built in the near future was carried out prior to the sale of Westinghouse Engineering.

Malcolm Wicks: None. We considered the matter carefully before agreeing to a sale. We did not believe that ownership of Westinghouse would be likely to have any bearing on the UK's ability to satisfy any future nuclear energy needs. In the event of a new build programme we would want the private sector, most likely the existing generators, to take the lead in funding and purchasing any new generation of reactors untainted by whether the technology was Government owned.

Parliamentary Questions

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to reply to question 109624, on UK Trade and Investment tabled by the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given today PQ No. 109624.

Patents

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many patents were held by  (a) the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory,  (b) the Central Science Laboratory,  (c) the Public Health Laboratory Service,  (d) the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and  (e) other Government laboratories in each of the last five years; and how many of these patents have been licensed.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 30 January 2007
	For questions  (a) to  (d) the answers are as follows:
	 (a) The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
	DSTL had 459 patents granted up to 31 December 2001 in 95 families of which 232 patents (in 66 families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2002 103 patents were granted in 34 families of which 25 patents (in nine families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2003 158 patents were granted in 44 families of which 21 patents (in 10 families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2004 132 patents were granted in 44 families of which 25 patents (in seven families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2005 144 patents were granted in 42 families of which seven patents (in five families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2006 153 patents were granted in 50 families of which six patents (in six families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	DSTL currently has 48 patent families licensed.
	 (b) The Central Science Laboratory
	One patent published in 1999, granted in 2001 which was assigned prior to grant in 2000 to Royal Holloway and Bedford New College.
	One application published in 2006, not yet granted.
	Three applications filed in 2004 (two) and 2005 (one) all terminated before publication and grant.
	 (c) The Public Health Laboratory
	17 patent applications were found, all of which were terminated before 2002. Four of the 17 were terminated before publication; two of the 17 were terminated after publication but before grant; 10 cases were ceased after publication and grant; one case expired at the end of the 20 year term (after publication and grant).
	The register shows no license agreements. However, there is no compulsion on patent holders to inform the Patent Office of license agreements although some do. Accordingly the Register of Patents cannot give an accurate picture of licensing behaviour.
	 (d) The Veterinary Laboratories
	No patents were found for this Laboratory.
	In terms of other Government Laboratories we have identified the following as possible examples of many.
	The first two have been supplied by the Ministry of Defence who have provided the information for each of the past five years on each patent family; a patent family being defined as a patent application having a patent granted in at least one territory. The MOD has been able to supply license information on these two bodies.
	 Defence Clothing and Textile Agency DCTA (now disbanded)
	DCTA had 46 patents granted up to 31 December 2001 in 11 families of which 41 patents (in seven families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2002 11 patents were granted in three families of which one patent has been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2003 nine patents were granted in three families of which one patent has been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2004 one patent was granted.
	DCTA currently has one patent family licensed.
	 Atomic Weapons Establishment AWE
	AWE had 87 patents granted up to 31 December 2001 in 32 families of which 68 patents (in 32 families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2002 seven patents were granted in four families.
	In 2003 12 patents were granted in eight families of which five patents (in five families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2004 23 patents were granted in seven families of which two patents (in two families) have been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2005 four patents were granted in three families of which one patent has been subsequently abandoned.
	In 2006 seven patents was granted in three families.
	AWE currently has five patent families licensed.
	 Other laboratories
	The following have been identified as bodies which may come under the general heading but for which there has been insufficient time to investigate in detail or identify any licenses.
	The table indicates the total number of GB and EP patents published in the names of the Government research laboratories indicated, which were chosen as a sample of the most well known from a list from the UK Trade and Investment website (www.ibb.gov.uk/rd/natlab) searching national laboratories. We have not checked which of these are published, which granted, and no account of the date of publication or grant has been taken.
	I add that these figures can be considered as approximate only, since the laboratories above may also have applied for patents in other names (such as Department for Trade and Industry, Secretary of State for...). Moreover name searching is fraught with difficulty because of the many different forms in which a name may be presented, and the figures should be considered as a guide.
	
		
			  Laboratory  GB patents  EP patents 
			 Central Laboratory of the Research Councils 0 0 
			 Central Research Laboratories Ltd 102 48 
			 Central Science Laboratory 0 0 
			 Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research 0 0 
			 Health and Safety Laboratory 0 0 
			 Laboratory of the Government Chemist 0 0 
			 Marie Curie Research Institute 0 0 
			 Medical Research Council 43 22 
			 National Engineering Laboratory 0 0 
			 National Physical Laboratory 0 0 
			 National Radiological Protection Board 3 0 
			 NI Knowledge Engineering Laboratory 0 0 
			 Public Health Laboratory 2 0 
			 Royal Victoria Infirmary 0 0 
			 Scottish Agricultural Science Board 0 0 
			 The Institute of Animal Health 1 2 
			 The National Weights and Measures Laboratory 0 0 
			 The Roslin Institute 10 13 
			 Transport Research Laboratory (TRL Ltd) 3 0 
			 UK Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre 0 0

Pre-payment Meters

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of pre-payment gas and electricity meters on low income customers; and what estimate he has made of the cost to customers of having to use pre-payment meters.

Malcolm Wicks: According to the Expenditure and Food Survey 2005-06, around half of prepayment meter customers fall into households in the bottom 30 per cent. of the income distribution. The average annual bill for gas pre-payment customers in 2006 is 25 higher than standard credit, while the average bill for electricity pre-payment customers is 21 higher than standard credit. Some companies have equalised their pre-payment and standard credit tariffs.
	The Government continue to encourage energy companies to consider their most vulnerable consumers when considering price or service changes, however the choice of a pre-payment meter is mainly a matter for the consumer. We encourage everyone to use the competitive market to get the best deal.

Procurement: Manufacturing Industries

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that procurement by Government Departments supports innovation within UK manufacturing; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: To ensure high quality public services, value for money and spending in an efficient way, the Government need to maximise the opportunities that businesses, including UK manufacturing companies, can offer through their commercial expertise and ability to innovate. The Government have made significant improvements in their procurement capability in recent years and a further major package of reforms to transform Government procurement was announced recently. In addition, the Government set out a programme of work to promote the use of innovation in public procurement in its Innovation Report (2003) and DTI's Five Year Programme (2004), which is still continuing. This includes fostering the innovation and creativity of small businesses through the Small Business Research Initiative.

Renewable Energy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on funding of  (a) solar photovoltaic,  (b) solar hot water and  (c) micro wind generation for domestic use; and whether there has been a change in the funding stream of such projects.

Malcolm Wicks: Under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1, we continue to offer funding for successfully completed solar photovoltaic, solar hot water and micro wind turbine projects at the same levels as when the scheme was launched in April 2006. We have held discussions with industry over the level of funding for all microgeneration technologies going forward, and these discussions are ongoing.

Research: Finance

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to ensure that it funds research that complements other research going on around the world.

Malcolm Wicks: In response to the Government's Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-14 the Global Science and Innovation Forum (GSIF) published its strategy for international engagement in research and development in October 2006. This strategy sets out a framework of objectives to prioritise and co-ordinate the UK's international engagement in research and development. The Government are also working to ensure effective co-ordination of national research activities with other European Union countries as part of the European Research Area through UK participation in the EC Framework Programme.
	All research councils in Research Councils UK (RCUK) take account of international research in developing their strategies and determining their funding priorities. This includes engaging with international experts for the peer review of funding applications and the establishment of Memoranda of Understanding with counterpart organisations in other countries. Each research council has an international strategy which sets out its priorities for international engagement.

Restaurants: Fees and Charges

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what legislation governs the imposition of service charges by food retail outlets; and what requirements there are for the provision of information about such charges  (a) on menus and  (b) in in-house advertisements.

Ian McCartney: The Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003 requires restaurants, pubs and similar establishments to provide certain information to customers on menus and price lists. The order requires that an indication of the price, including service charges, shall be unambiguous, easily identifiable, and clearly legible to consumers on menus and price lists.
	Eating establishments are also bound by the general rules for traders on misleading price indications contained in the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Solar Energy

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department has made available for the installation of solar panels in West Lancashire in the last three years; what allocation has been made for 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Under the Solar PV Major Demonstration and Low Carbon Buildings Programmes we have committed 2,270,001 towards the installation of solar panels in the North West region over the past three years. It is not possible to provide these figures for the West Lancashire region. The following table shows the breakdown by grant programme.
	
		
			
			  Solar PV Major Demonstration Programme  
			 2004-05 525,095 
			 2005-06 756,210 
			 2006-07 509,131 
			 Total 1,790,436 
			   
			  Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1  
			 2006-07 479,565 
			 Total 479,565 
		
	
	There is no grant provision made available by region going forward.

Trading Relations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the implications for Ukrainian trading relations with the  (a) UK and  (b) EU of Ukraine's possible accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2007.

Ian McCartney: WTO accession negotiations are a matter of European Commission competence. The Government fully support the accession of Ukraine to the WTO under the right terms and conditions that enable Ukraine to meet WTO commitments. During accession negotiations the Government have ensured that the Commission is aware of UK interests and concerns.

Trading Relations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the implications of Thailand's potential plans to change its commitments to the World Trade Organisation for Thailand's trading relations with the  (a) UK and  (b) EU.

Ian McCartney: The Government are aware of a number of proposals that could potentially revise Thailand's WTO commitments. We are continuing to assess these proposals in the context of WTO negotiations and remain in close contact with the Commission regarding potential implications for the UK and the European Community.

UK Civil Plutonium and Uranium

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2007,  Official Report, column 122W, on UK civil plutonium and uranium, what the name is of the operator concerned; which nuclear plant is involved; and which bodies will conduct the independent verification and peer check in future.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 2 February 2007
	The operator concerned, British Nuclear Group Sellafield Limited (BNGSL), will introduce its enhanced checking procedures as declared. The data compiled will be checked and verified by separate BNGSL personnel who are not involved in or influenced by the compilation activities and are therefore independent of the compilation process. The Department's UK Safeguards Office (UKSO) compiles the summary information provided by the operators and ensures that these are consistent with their and the European Commission's safeguards accounts.

UK Trade and Investment

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many full-time equivalent staff are employed by UK Trade and Investment in each South American country; and how many such staff are expected to be employed in each country in each of the next three financial years.

Alistair Darling: There are currently 74.4 full-time equivalent staff engaged in trade and investment work in South America. The following table reflects the allocation of staff in the relevant markets over the next three years. However this will be subject to regular review and staffing levels will depend on operational requirements and available resources.
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Colombia 4.4 4.4 4.4 3.4 3.4 
			 Ecuador 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 
			 Venezuela 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 
			 Peru 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.6 
			 Brazil 39 38 41 41 41 
			 Bolivia 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 
			 Paraguay 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Chile 6.7 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.2 
			 Argentina 7.8 7.8 7.8 7.8 7.8 
			 Uruguay 1.9 1.9 1.9 0 0 
			 Guyana 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 
			 Suriname 0 0 0 0 0 
			 French Guinea 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 76 74.4 77.4 74.5 74.5

Westinghouse Engineering

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1618, on Westinghouse Engineering, what account was taken of the implications of access to reactor design technology in the decision to sell Westinghouse Engineering; and what advice N M Rothschilds gave on this matter.

Malcolm Wicks: The sale of Westinghouse was in line with the finding of the joint BNFL/HMG strategy review. We considered the matter carefully before agreeing to a sale. We did not believe that ownership of Westinghouse would be likely to have any bearing on the UK's ability to satisfy any future nuclear energy needs. In the event of a new build programme we would want the private sector, most likely the existing generators, to take the lead in funding and purchasing any new generation of reactors untainted by whether the technology was Government owned.
	N M Rothchilds did not provide any specific advice on whether technology ownership was in any way important to UK new build. Advice given by N M Rothchilds was provided on a confidential basis.

Wind Power

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to publish new guidelines relating to planning considerations for on-shore wind farms; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy was published in August 2004 and sets out the Government's policies for renewable energy which need to be taken into account by regional planning bodies in England and the Mayor of London in the preparation of regional spatial strategies (or the Spatial Development Strategy in London), and by local planning authorities in the preparation of local development documents. They may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications.
	The Government are currently consulting on Planning Policy Statement: Planning and Climate Change which sets out how spatial planning should contribute to reducing emissions and stabilising climate change, including through renewable energy supply. The Government will be publishing in spring 2007 a guidance note on the consents process under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for power stations, including onshore wind farms, whose generating capacity exceeds 50 megawatts electrical.
	The Government are working towards a Planning White Paper for spring 2007. This will set out the Government's response to Kate Barker's recommendations on planning and its proposals for dealing with major infrastructure projects, following up her and Rod Eddington's recommendations.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are in receipt of child benefit; and how many are  (a) single fathers and  (b) single mothers.

Dawn Primarolo: There were 7.4 million recipients of child benefit (CB) in August 2006. Whether or not a CB recipient is currently a single parent or part of a couple is not recorded on the CB system as after 5 July 1998 it did not affect the level of award.

Colorectal Cancer

Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new cases of colorectal cancer there were in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006 in (i) men and (ii) women in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 6 February 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many new cases of colorectal cancer there were in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006 in (i) men and (ii) women in England and Wales. I am replying in her absence. (119211)
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the years 2005 (Wales), 2004 (England). In 2004 there were 16,920 new cases of colorectal cancer among males in England and Wales and 13,910 among females.
	2005 cancer incidence figures for Wales are available at:
	http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/docmetadata.cfm?orgid=242id=68938pid=21936
	There are a number of reasons why the figures appear to be two years out of date. Cancer registration is not statutory. Cancer registration is a complex process, involving the capture of information from a large number of sources. Registries have to register all cases, while not unwittingly creating duplicate records for the same person and cancer. This inevitably takes some timeparticularly when, as is often the case, information from the patient's notes is not made available to the registries until the patient's main course of treatment has ended.

Credit Unions

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to promote credit unions;
	(2)  whether he plans to increase Government support available to credit unions.

Edward Balls: The Government recognise the valuable work of credit unions in providing affordable credit and savings products to those on low incomes.
	The Government have established a Growth Fund of 36 million, administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, to boost the coverage, capacity and sustainability of credit unions and other third sector lenders. The pre-Budget report announced the Government will also make funding available to support the training requirements of staff and volunteers working for third sector lenders. Further measures introduced to support the sector include enabling credit unions to offer cash ISAs, and increasing the maximum rate that credit unions are able to charge on loans, in order to increase flexibility to lend to those on low incomes.
	The Government will report on next steps for the financial inclusion strategy shortly.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Martyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about bank-related services were resolved by the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The annual report of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) provides information on total number of cases resolved. However, this information is not broken down by industry sector. The FOS has agreed to provide my hon. Friend with this information directly.

Gershon Review

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition he uses of non-cashable savings as made following the Gershon review.

Stephen Timms: Within the Gershon efficiency programme, non-cashable efficiency gains occur when productivity or output quality increases, either for the same resource inputs or a proportionally smaller increase in resource inputs, in a way that does not release financial resources that can be deployed elsewhere.

HM Revenue and Customs

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the backlog is of unopened letters in HM Revenue and Customs processing offices in the south-east.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC processes require that letters received from customers are opened on the day of receipt and a count of unopened items is therefore not maintained.

HM Revenue and Customs

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters to HM Revenue and Customs from individual taxpayers have yet to be answered.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Income Tax

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people made voluntary contributions as a supplement to income tax in the tax year 2004-05; and what the total value of these contributions was.

Dawn Primarolo: There are no voluntary contributions that supplement income tax.

Investment Income: Taxation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost in terms of forsaken revenue of exempting foreign dividends from tax.

Dawn Primarolo: The cost of exempting foreign dividends from tax depends primarily on the behavioural response to the introduction of any exemption.
	An exemption regime could take various forms. The behavioural response would vary depending on the form. It is therefore not possible to estimate the cost of exemption with any accuracy.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department will reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for Chesterfield of  (a) 27 November 2006,  (b) 28 December 2006 and  (c) 12 January 2007 on the future of HM Revenue and Customs offices in Chesterfield.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC issued responses to the hon. Gentleman on 9 January 2007, in response to his letter of 27 November 2006, and on 2 February 2007, in reply to his letter of 28 December 2006. The hon. Gentleman's letter of 12 January 2007 was requesting a response to his letter of 27 November, therefore does not require a further reply.

Money Laundering: Councillors

Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether local councillors in the UK are included in the category of politically exposed persons under the Third EU Money Laundering Directive.

Edward Balls: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1424W, on the effect of Commission Directives 2005/60/EC and 2006/70/EC.
	On 22 January the Government published draft Money Laundering Regulations 2007 for consultation. These regulations will implement the directive. Regulation 10 (5) defines a politically exposed person. The draft regulations limit the application of enhanced due diligence measures to politically exposed persons either resident abroad or entrusted with prominent public functions by a foreign state, European or international body.

Mortality Statistics

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2007,  Official Report, column 232W, on mortality statistics, how many people died as a result of a stroke in each  (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care trust in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004, (iii) 2005 and (iv) 2006.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 6 February 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking, pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2007, Official Report, column 232W, on mortality statistics, how many people died as a result of a stroke in each (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004, (iii) 2005 and (iv) 2006. I am replying in her absence. (119233)
	The table attached provides the number of deaths where stroke was the underlying cause of death in each  (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care organisation(1 )in England, the total number in Wales, and in England and Wales combined, for 2003 to 2005 (the latest year available). A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The totals given here for England and Wales are slightly lower than the corresponding figures given in the answer of 30 January. Figures broken down by NHS organisation differ from national figures in excluding deaths of people not usually resident in England and Wales, and are based on the year of registration of death rather than the year of occurrence.
	(1) Primary care organisations consist of primary care trusts and care trusts.

Mortgages

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average salary multiple for mortgages taken out was by first time buyers of private homes in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: Information on salary multiples of first time buyers split by rural and non-rural areas is not available.

Online Tax Returns

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects hon. Members to be able to fill out their tax returns online.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC are looking at possible enhancements to their online services to enable the very small minority of self-assessment taxpayers, including MPs, currently unable to file their tax returns online, to do so. However, these will yet take time to develop and it is not currently possible to say when MPs will be able to file online.

Pensions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish draft legislation on changes to  (a) pension term assurance,  (b) alternatively secured pensions and  (c) scheme pensions.

Edward Balls: On 6 December 2006 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced, as part of his pre-Budget report (PBR), changes to the tax rules governing alternatively secured pensions and that measures would be introduced to prevent other pensions options, such as scheme pensions, being used as a route to pass on tax-favoured pensions savings. Work is ongoing on these issues.
	The draft legislation for the main changes to alternatively secured pensions was published, along with an explanatory note, at PBR.
	It was also announced that the Government would work with the pensions industry to explore in time for the Budget how the principles underlying pensions tax relief apply to pension term assurance. These discussions are ongoing.

Planning Gain Supplement

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on consulting on and preparing for a planning gain supplement tax.

John Healey: The Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Department for Communities and Local Government have undertaken preliminary work to develop and explore the feasibility of a planning gain supplement since 2004. This has included the publication of one consultation document alongside the 2005 pre-Budget report and three consultation documents alongside the 2006 pre-Budget report. The costs incurred have been borne by the respective Departments as part of the normal policy development process.

Self-assessment Commercials

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of  (a) hiring (i) props, (ii) locations and (iii) personnel and  (b) procuring airtime for self-assessment commercials.

Dawn Primarolo: Disaggregated information is not available.

Self-assessment Taxation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many telephone calls HM Revenue and Customs has made chasing up self-assessment tax returns; how many staff are involved in such activity; at what cost; whether it is normal practice for calls to be made on a Sunday; how many people called had already returned their forms; and what system is used to inform telephonists of whether a tax payer has returned their tax return.

Dawn Primarolo: In the run up to the self- assessment deadline on 31 January 2007, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) ran a telephone campaign to help self-assessment customers comply with their statutory obligations and avoid penalties and interest charges.
	853,158 customers were selected to receive an enabling telephone call to remind them that 31 January 2007 was the deadline for returning their 2005-06 self- assessment tax return and paying any money due.
	These calls were made throughout the week, including the weekend (between 11:30 and 16:30) when some customers are more likely to be available.
	Up to 200 staff have been involved in handling these calls at a cost of 350,000.
	Data extracts taken from the self-assessment computer system just before the campaign started and some further data extracts taken during the campaign, were used to identify the customers to be telephoned.
	Approximately 10 per cent. of customers contacted indicated that they had already submitted their returns during this self-assessment telephony reminder campaign.

Self-employed Taxpayers

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 344-45W, on self-employed taxpayers, what proportion of self-employed taxpayers' tax returns for 2004-05 in  (a) the south east and  (b) the UK were investigated.

Dawn Primarolo: Inquiries into the 2004-05 tax returns of self-employed taxpayers would have commenced during the 2005-06 tax year. Details of the national targets and achievements are contained in the HM Revenue and Customs Annual Report for 2005-06.
	Separate figures for the south east are not kept and it would be disproportionately expensive to recover them.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Ombudsman in her report Tax Credits: Putting Things Right (June 2005); whether the Government have  (a) accepted and  (b) implemented each recommendation; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 7 November 2006,  Official Report column 1041W.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the levels of  (a) fraud,  (b) customer error and  (c) official error relating to tax credits in each year since 2001 in (i) percentage terms and (ii) cash terms; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the 'Comptroller and Auditor General's Standard Report on the Accounts of the Inland Revenue 2002-03' available at www.nao.org.uk and to the 'Child and Working Tax Credits, Error and Fraud Statistics 2003-04' available at www.hmrc.qov.uk. Estimates for future years will be published annually.
	Amounts written off due to official error are included in the remissions figure in HMRCs accounts.

Tax Credits

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will instruct Mr. Richard Summersgill, director of the Tax Credit Office, to take telephone calls from hon. and right hon. Members, and to respond personally to their letters.

Dawn Primarolo: The director of the Tax Credit Office (TCO) and his deputies are always ready to take personal calls from hon. and right hon. Members. TCO has no record of any such approaches.
	TCO provides a hotline facility which hon. Members are encouraged to call to discuss matters relating to their constituents' tax credits claims
	Correspondence about constituents' tax credits affairs are normally dealt with by technical experts who are best suited to deal with individual cases based in Liverpool, Belfast or Preston who usually respond directly to hon. Members.

Tax Credits

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many inquiries the Tax Credit Hotline has received in each month since its inception.

Dawn Primarolo: For the number of calls answered by the Tax Credit Office MP Hotline up to the end of 2005 I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 348W. The MP hotline answered around 17,000 calls in 2006. Figures for January 2007 are not yet available.

Tax Credits

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have received overpayments of tax credits in Morecambe and Lunesdale since the beginning of the scheme.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04 Geographical Analysis and the Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05 Geographical Analysis. These publications and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by constituency with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.
	Information on number of in-work families, with overpayments in 2005-06 will not be available until May 2007, after circumstances and incomes have been finalised.

Tax Credits

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on recovering tax credit overpayments from individuals and households who are no longer in receipt of credits when the overpayment is identified; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC's policy on tax credit overpayments is set out in their code of practice 26 What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?

Tax Returns

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated cost is of filling out a tax return; and what estimate he has made of  (a) how many people pay accountants to do this for them and  (b) how much they pay for this service.

Dawn Primarolo: No data are held on the financial cost of completing a self-assessment tax return. The latest data available (2003) on the time taken to complete a tax return is as follows:
	
		
			   Hours unrepresented  Hours represented 
			 Employees 2.25 2.02 
			 Self-employed 3.02 2.27 
		
	
	The majority of self-assessment customers are represented by agents who may range from professional tax agents to helpful relatives.
	
		
			  2006-07  Agent  No agent  Total 
			 Individual 4,521,689 4,012,395 8,534,084 
			 Partnership 308,318 227,256 535,574 
			 Trust 93,872 204,787 298,659 
			 Total 4,923,879 4,444,438 9,368,317 
		
	
	No data are held on the fees paid by customers to professional agents for the completion of self-assessment tax returns.

Tax Returns

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people who submitted tax returns in the last period for which figures are available earned  (a) under 20,000,  (b) under 32,500,  (c) under 50,000,  (d) under 75,000,  (e) under 100,000,  (f) under 150,000 and  (g) over 250,000.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for the number of individuals that submitted tax returns for 2004-05 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Range of earned income  Number of individuals (thousand) 
			 No earned income 765 
			 1 to 4,744 1,550 
			 4,745 to 19,999 3,580 
			 20,000 to 32,499 1,250 
			 32,500 to 49,999 859 
			 50,000 to 74,999 453 
			 75,000 to 99,999 183 
			 100,000 to 149,999 170 
			 150,000 to 249,999 92 
			 250,000 and over 59 
			 All ranges 8,960 
			  Notes: 1. These estimates are from the Survey of Personal Incomes 2004-05 and are the latest available. 2. Earned income is defined as income from employment, self-employment and pensions. 3. Numbers are given to three significant figures and may not sum to the total due to rounding.

Tax Returns

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time was between the receipt of a tax return and the commencement of an HM Revenue and Customs inquiry in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not keep a separate record of the time between the receipt of a return and the commencement of an inquiry. It would be disproportionately expensive to recover it.

Taxation: Aviation

Michael Jack: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the legislation used to give legal effect to the change in air passenger duty from 1 February 2007.

John Healey: The change will be enacted using the normal process for Finance Bills, including through the use of powers granted by the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1968.

VAT: Fraud

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of UK carousel VAT fraud in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) the most recent two previous years for which data are available.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC published annual estimates of the level of MTIC fraud alongside PBR 2006 in Measuring Indirect Tax Losses2006, which is available from the House of Commons Library or from the HMRC website.
	No estimate has yet been produced for 2006-07, though operational indicators suggest that MTIC fraud activity has fallen sharply during the year.